Chelsea closing in on Jules Kounde

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Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla, according to Fabrizio Romano. Other sources have quickly followed the Italian journalist with the story too.

The talks between the two clubs started quite recently but they seem to be progressing fast. The 22-year-old defender has apparently already agreed personal terms with the London Blues and is ready to sign a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge. Kurt Zouma could go the other way as part of the deal. Kounde has three years remaining on his Sevilla deal.

Kounde rose through the academy ranks at Bordeaux and earned first-team promotion with the French club in 2017. He made his way to Sevilla two years later, in a deal reportedly worth around €25 million. He has so far made 89 appearances for the La Liga side in all competitions, scoring six goals. Primarily a centre-back, he can also play on the right defensive flank if need be, and has two senior caps with France under his belt. A highly rated player considered to be of great potential, Kounde has reportedly been under close observation by a number top clubs across Europe.

Meanwhile, Zouma is firmly behind Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, with Andreas Christensen also in the mix for the centre-back places, and he could see a potential move to Sevilla as a good opportunity to secure more game-time. Most of his 22 Premier League starts in 2020-21 came in the first half of the season, with Christensen later moving ahead in the pecking order.