Chelsea have been told by Sevilla to increase their offer if they want to sign centre-back Jules Kounde, reports Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian. The Blues had previously offered around €30 million plus Kurt Zouma for the French defender, but the La Liga side are said to want around €45 million with Zouma on top.
Sevilla Tell Chelsea to Increase Jules Kounde Bid
Tough Negotiators
Kounde supposedly has a release clause of €80 million in his contract, which Chelsea are unwilling to match. Sevilla appear to be open to the idea of selling Kounde but will want to get as much as they can for him considering he is one of the biggest talents in Spain.
They are also not against signing Zouma as they like the 26-year-old, but they are only willing to do the deal at the right price. The Frenchman is valued at around £30 million by Chelsea.
The deal as a whole has progressed significantly, with personal terms already agreed, according to Fabrizio Romano. Chelsea and Kounde have agreed a contract until 2026, but the Blues will now need to negotiate further with Sevilla in order to complete the deal.
West Ham Interested in Zouma
Steinberg adds in his report that West Ham United are also interested in signing Zouma, who made 24 Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season.
However, David Moyes’ side would only be willing to pay around £20 million, which wouldn’t be enough to convince Chelsea to sell.
Staying in London could be a key factor for the player, though, and if a deal with West Ham does come to fruition, Chelsea could offer left-back Emerson Palmieri to Sevilla as part of the Kounde transfer instead.
Another London side credited with a possible interest in Zouma is Tottenham Hotspur. They are still in talks to sign Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero, but Fabrizio Romano reports that if that deal falls through, Spurs could instead sign three centre-backs, which would include Zouma alongside Takehiro Tomiyasu and Nikola Milenkovic.
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