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Chelsea suffers transfer setback as Jules Kounde ‘makes Man Utd transfer request’
Sevilla defender Jules Kounde was linked with a move to Chelsea throughout the previous transfer window, but has reportedly asked his agent to open talks with Manchester United about a possible switch.
Chelsea’s loss could be another of Europe’s top clubs’ gain, as both Manchester United and Real Madrid are said to be interested in signing the defender.
According to El Nacional, Kounde is skeptical about how much game time he would get under Carlo Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu and has asked his agent to put United’s interest ahead of his own.
According to the same report, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team are rumored to be “crazy” about signing Kounde this summer, despite signing fellow French centre-back Raphael Varane earlier this year.
Sevilla’s rumoured asking price of £75.9 million, just £5 million less than the sum paid for club captain Harry Maguire, the most expensive defender in history, could put an end to United’s pursuit.
Kounde has had a strong start to the league season with Sevilla, appearing in all eight of their league games as they sit third in La Liga.
The 22-year-old has also received another call-up to the French national team as they won the UEFA Nations League.
The France international made no secret of his desire to join Chelsea in the summer, but the deal fell through in the closing stages of the transfer window, much to Kounde’s chagrin.
According to reports, the Frenchman ignored calls from Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui and director of football Monchi.
Once dubbed “the best defender in the world right now” by Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, a £43m bid from the Blues was rejected by the La Liga club, who value Kounde at around double that figure.
For much of the transfer window, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Kounde would end up under Thomas Tuchel’s tutelage in West London, but both clubs have since blamed the other for the deal’s demise.
Monchi explained publicly how Chelsea refused to meet their valuation of the defender, saying on the eve of the transfer window’s deadline: “The only written, formal offer from Chelsea came last Wednesday, around 5pm.”
“We weren’t satisfied with the offer, and it was linked to Chelsea selling a player.
“It was a decent fee but it didn’t meet our criteria.”
United’s pursuit of Kounde may be motivated by a lack of quality behind first-choice duo Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane in their central defensive ranks.
Both have been sidelined with injuries in recent weeks, and United’s form has suffered as a result, with the club winning just one of their last five games.
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Chelsea suffers transfer setback as Jules Kounde ‘makes Man Utd transfer request’
