Report: Barcelona close to hijacking Chelsea's £55M deal for Kounde
Chelsea are close to calling off their move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde after learning Barcelona have agreed to personal terms with the French international, The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano reports.
The Blues reportedly agreed to pay Sevilla a fee of around £55 million for Kounde on Friday, but Barcelona apparently persuaded the 23-year-old to hold off on a move to west London while they prepare an official bid.
Barcelona could even end up paying Sevilla less than what Chelsea offered, according to The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg.
The Blaugrana were seemingly out of the race just a few days ago. However, Barcelona announced Friday they had traded a further 15% of future TV revenue to U.S. investment firm Sixth Street for an immediate cash injection worth a reported €320 million. That's in addition to the €207.5 million they raised from selling an initial 10% of future TV revenue to the same group in June.
Chelsea are also second-guessing the move. Manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly has concerns about Kounde's height and whether his 5-foot-10 frame can handle the rigors of the Premier League.
Barcelona already beat the English side to the signing of Brazilian winger Raphinha in this summer's transfer window. They're also trying to complete a deal for Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
Tuchel said he was considering blocking Azipilcueta's move to Camp Nou, saying he was a "little bit" annoyed with Barcelona's pursuit of the player.