Report: Barcelona outwit Chelsea again to sign Sevilla's Kounde
Barcelona have outmaneuvered Chelsea once again.
Weeks after beating the Blues to the signing of Brazilian winger Raphinha, the Blaugrana reached an agreement Wednesday to sign French defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla, according to The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano.
Barcelona will pay around €50 million plus add-ons, Romano reports.
Chelsea reportedly believed they had a £55-million deal in place for the center-back, but Barcelona responded this week by hijacking the negotiations. The Catalans apparently agreed to personal terms with the 23-year-old before striking a deal with Sevilla.
Kounde is now expected to be Barcelona’s fifth summer signing after Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, and Andreas Christensen.
Romano reports the La Liga giants are also in talks to sign Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
Barcelona, who carried more than €1 billion in debt as recently as last year, boosted their coffers this summer by trading away 25% of future TV revenue for an immediate cash injection of around €525 million. The club also received a €595-million loan from investment bank Goldman Sachs last August to restructure some of its debt.
Chelsea may yet welcome the opportunity to walk away from the deal for Kounde, with manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly skeptical the 5-foot-10 defender would thrive in the Premier League.
Even after signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, the English side still needs defensive reinforcements. It lost Christensen and Antonio Rudiger when their contracts expired at the end of June and missed out on Matthijs de Ligt, who left Juventus for Bayern Munich.
