Jules Kounde to Chelsea: Barcelona fly him to Portugal, personal terms agreed

Just like Ross and Rachael were off and on again a few hundred times, Chelsea’s deal to get Jules Kounde to London isn’t going smoothly.

Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have done all they can so far to convince the player that Stamford Bridge is the destination for him but the longer it takes to get the green light from Sevilla, the larger the chances the deal goes wrong.

With Barcelona waiting in the wings trying to scupper the deal, delay the move and hold up negotiations whilst they frantically prepare their own offer, it has become not only one of the longest transfer dramas to memory, it’s now bordering on ridiculous.

Having agreed personal terms with the 23-year-old last summer, and once again being confident that Kounde is still very much interested in a move to England’s capital, Sevilla’s motive has changed since the summer of 2021. Although they were holding out for a larger sum than Chelsea wanted to pay and ended up moving the goalposts at the last second, the Blues have decided to offer the money that Sevilla want this time around.

However, with the knowledge that Barcelona are chasing the player, Monchi, Sevilla’s director of football, is now in a position to bargain with both clubs in an attempt to once again raise the price. This wouldn’t be an issue for Xavi’s side if they had any readily available cash. They could simply put the funds on the table and open an auction with Chelsea.