Chelsea are in the final four of the FA Cup and remain in contention for a top five finish in the Premier League, but are expected to rebuild their squad in the upcoming summer transfer, particularly with defenders and midfielders.
Fichajes has reported that the Blues have identified Barcelona defender Jules Kounde as a potential signing for later this year, having already had history with the player, who was close to joining them from Sevilla in 2022 before opting to sign for Barca.
Having continued his exploits in La Liga, he has become one of the world’s top defenders under Hansi Flick but Barcelona could be willing to let go of him for £60 million this summer as they continue to face a fight with balancing their accounts.
Kounde a solid potential coup for Chelsea
After some lacklustre defensive performances this season, especially in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea require some experience in their backline and Jules Kounde’s signing would fit the bill perfectly.
The French international is a technically sound player, who is comfortable on the ball and has the ability to anticipate the game very well. He is very good in one-on-one situations and offers aerial prowess in spite of a relatively short height.
More recently, Kounde has been playing as a right back for Barcelona to very good effect but remains a quality central defender having been employed in the position occasionally by Hansi Flick and extensively earlier on in Catalonia as well as with Sevilla.
Owing to Reece James’ fitness problems, he would be a solid option to compete with the Chelsea captain while also being a regular fixture in the team as a centre back, where his distribution from the back will be key in the Blues’ build-up play.
At 27, he has a decent portion of his career still to come and is in the best years of his abilities. In a relatively young Chelsea side, he would be the ideal addition for a reasonable transfer fee of £60 million.
