A photo to have come to the fore on social media on Monday evening has piqued widespread attentions across the fanbase of Premier League giants Chelsea.
This comes with one of the club’s primary long-time transfer targets having taken centre stage.
The player in question? Jules Kounde.
French international Kounde was of course widely expected to make the move to Stamford Bridge last summer, amid lengthy negotiations between the respective boards at Chelsea and La Liga outfit Sevilla.
In the end, however, the former saw their efforts come up short, as Sevilla stood firm in their demands that the club’s star defender’s release clause be paid in full.
Sevilla sport director Monchi: “Jules Koundé has chances to leave the club if some club will pay the release clause. Chelsea made a bid last week but we didn’t like it”. 🚨🔵 #Sevilla #CFC
Koundé release clause is around €75/80m. Sevilla have no intention to negotiate. pic.twitter.com/WQaZKVsU0U
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2021
Nevertheless, Chelsea are widely expected to return with a fresh assault for Kounde’s signature this coming summer, with more than one outlet in the media having gone as far as to suggest that a deal being struck is essentially a foregone conclusion.
It has therefore come as no surprise to hear of Kounde’s presence in England on Monday sparking inevitable excitement across the Blues’ fanbase.
As showcased below, the 23-year-old stopped to pose for a photo with a fan in London, which has since rapidly spread across social media:
Jules Kounde was in London today. @Nathan_Gissing ( CFCNewsPage ) pic.twitter.com/NY1NO6hl7E
— Pys (@CFCPys) May 23, 2022
Rudiger amongst exit party
Chelsea’s ongoing pursuit of Kounde, of course, makes perfect sense.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad is in desperate need of defensive reinforcements with a view to next season, ahead of the free agent departures of both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, as well as, potentially, Cesar Azpilicueta.
The Sevilla star, as a result, looks likely to be just one of a number of high-profile additions to Chelsea’s backline over the months ahead.
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