The Jules Kounde transfer saga is yet to come to a conclusion as Chelsea and Barcelona continue their tug of war over the French centre-back.
It was widely reported in the Spanish media yesterday that the defender is set to reject Chelsea’s proposal and wait for Barcelona’s contract offer before taking the next step in his career.
Diario SPORT now suggest Barcelona have reached personal terms with Jules Kounde. The Catalans had offered the defender a contract of around four years, which has been agreed upon by the player.
The club are hoping to close the transfer out in the coming weeks, in what could be a major blow for Chelsea.
However, the report suggests Barcelona still have a final hurdle to cross. They are yet to reach an agreement with Sevilla, even though reports from Gerard Romero yesterday had claimed otherwise.
The Catalans are expected to propose their offer to Sevilla in the coming future, with the club likely to formulate an agreement that could see Barça a chunk of the transfer fee upfront.
Even though Barcelona might not end up paying €65 million offered by Chelsea, the deal proposed by the Catalans is likely to be favoured by Sevilla, who are in desperate need of a financial injection, as they look to balance the books ahead of the new season.
Hence, if everything goes well, Chelsea could be set to lose yet another transfer target to Barcelona, who have had a terrific month, to say the least.
The addition of Kounde should alleviate most of Xavi’s defensive needs, with the Spaniard unlikely to even target a right-back thanks to the Frenchman’s versatility at the back.
However, Barcelona still need to make the final steps, and with Chelsea desperate to get their man, it will be interesting to see how much more drama this Kounde saga has to offer.