Chelsea accelerate major transfer with January arrival a genuine option
Chelsea could finally seal the long-awaited transfer of Jules Kounde next month after a report revealed a potential Blues exit is ramping up proceedings.
Chelsea agreed personal terms with Sevilla centre-half Kounde over the summer. However, the two clubs could not find common ground over the fee that would be paid. Sevilla were said to be seeking £68.7m, but ESPN recently revealed their demands have since relaxed.
Six months on and Chelsea’s need in central defence is growing by the week.
Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva are all out of contract next summer.
Silva reportedly received a lucrative offer to play in the Middle East. Azpilicueta and Rudiger have attracted interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Now, according to the Daily Star, if Chelsea cannot convince Rudiger to stay, they could push through a deal for Kounde in January.
Rudiger out, Kounde in?
They state Chelsea could sanction a cut-price deal for Rudiger next month to avoid losing him for free.
Kounde has already been ‘lined up as his replacement’ and snapping the Frenchman up early could be to their benefit given Manchester United are reportedly sniffing a deal.
The Star cites Duncan Castles of the Transfer Window Podcast within their article. Castles said: “Chelsea are continuing to pursue [Kounde].
“They have continued to make it clear they want to bring him to the Premier League and that they’re interested in doing it in January.
“Obviously the financial terms remain fine, they were accepted in the summer.”
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Tuchel convinced Chelsea made correct Gallagher call
Meanwhile, Tuchel says that the club feel “convinced” Crystal Palace loanee Conor Gallagher can impress at Stamford Bridge next season.
“We love Conor, we are convinced about him,” the manager told the Daily Express.
“We took the decision for Conor because when we looked at the midfield – Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante – he was considered number four in the group. Conor knew this all the way. An opportunity came up where he could clearly see more minutes and more responsibility.
“Would he be the same Conor if he had stayed here? Obviously not, because the situation will then be different. Maybe, then, the same people would say, ‘How can they rely on Conor Gallagher’?, or ‘Why don’t they give him more minutes’?”
“If Mateo hadn’t been injured, it wouldn’t really matter,” the manager added. “So, no, you cannot go back to these decisions that are made for the club and for the player. Everybody agreed on it.
“And it’s obviously a good decision because he is doing so well and everybody is happy. That’s because he plays every single game, and knows how important he is to the team at Crystal Palace. This is a huge part of being at the best level you can be.”
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