Chelsea report: Blues take huge step towards completing key signing
Chelsea's hopes of signing a La Liga defender have received a boost - but deal not done yet
Chelsea have taken a step closer to completing the signing of Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde, according to reports.
The Blues are looking to revamp their defence following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Both centre-backs left Stamford Bridge when their contracts expired on June 30, moving to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
Chelsea have already acquired Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, with the Senegal international joining the club for a fee in the region of £33m.
But Thomas Tuchel still wants to bring in at least one more defender, with Kounde thought to be at the top of his wish list.
Barcelona are also sniffing around the France international but Chelsea are hoping to get a deal done soon.
According to the Spanish publication Marca, the Blues have already agreed personal terms with Kounde and will now step up their negotiations with Sevilla.
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Chelsea have submitted a bid of £47m for the centre-back, which is about £8m short of Sevilla's asking price.
They are hoping that the La Liga side will agree to lower their demands, with Kounde almost certain to depart the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan before the summer transfer window closes at the beginning of September.
Having spent big on Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona will need to sell players before they can afford to compete for the signature of Kounde.
Meanwhile, Koulibaly is set to make his first appearance in a Chelsea shirt when his new team take on American side Charlotte in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
"I’m very happy with him signing and joining our team," Tuchel said of the ex-Napoli stopper.
"He’s now the second signing of the summer and again we have a strong player, a strong personality with big experience. From our point of view, he’s a perfect addition to the group."
Chelsea will begin the 2022/23 season against Everton on August 6.
Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).