The Jules Kounde transfer saga continues to throw new twists and turns at every step as Barcelona and Chelsea battle it out for the Frenchman’s signing.
Two days ago, the 23-year-old looked all set to sign for Chelsea after they reached an agreement with Sevilla over a £55 million deal.
However, Barça clawed their way back into the picture and are now said to be well-positioned to sign Kounde thanks to the player’s desire to move to Camp Nou along with the payment structure that the Catalans would be offering Sevilla.
While some sources have claimed that a deal is as good as done, others insist that both teams are still in play as Barcelona are yet to submit a formal offer and are currently working on it. But, the scales are currently tipped in favour of the Blaugrana at this moment.
Amidst this, The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg has come up with a fresh update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Kounde.
The journalist claims that there is nothing in writing between Chelsea and Sevilla as of yet, leaving the door open for Barcelona to tie up the deal for the French international.
Steinberg further adds that Kounde was not a priority target for Chelsea this summer. The Blues turned their focus towards the Frenchman after they assessed other options, such as Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Ligt.
So, if there is some disagreement with Sevilla regarding the payment structure or any add-ons/variables in the operation, Chelsea could be ready to walk away from the deal, leaving the path clear for Barcelona to get their man.
It is believed that Chelsea wish to make the payments to Sevilla over several instalments. But Barça would be willing to settle the deal in a single payment and even though their offer will likely be lower than the Premier League club’s Sevilla could prefer such an arrangement.
If Sevilla plan to leverage Barcelona’s offer and demand Chelsea make changes to the payment structure, the Blues might end up dropping out of the race completely.