Jules Kounde: Has Chelsea Been Dealt a Blow in Centre-Back Hunt?

Jules Kounde could be stuck in Sevilla with news of him having to go under the knife after disrupting an old injury, which saw him forced off at halftime in France’s National League loss to Croatia; the fixture ended in a 1-0 defeat for France.

Just a night of bad luck for Didier Deschamps and the France national team. Not only losing the game by a narrow margin of 1-0 but also losing one of their best centre-backs to an old recurring injury. The manager confirmed the reason for him being withdrawn from the game, stating the operation has been put off for too long and now is the time to deal with the problem.

The World Cup-winning manager also goes on in saying that he will be available before the new season kicks off and back sometime during the preseason. Where he will be preseason though? Is another question on its own.

"Chelsea target Jules Kounde will go under the knife in a pre-planned operation – but will reportedly be back in action in time for pre-season. Kounde lasted just 45 minutes in France’s 1-0 defeat to Croatia in the Nations League on Monday evening.He was hooked at half-time and replaced by Benjamin Pavard, with France boss Didier Deschamps revealing afterwards that the 23-year-old needs surgery to fix a long-term ‘problem’.(Via: dailymail.co.uk)"

Does Jules Kounde’s Injury Setback Hamper His Move to Chelsea?

Since last summer and since catching word of their first-choice centre-backs wanting to leave this transfer window, which they did, the Blues have been working on deals to bring in new CBs to Stamford Bridge.

Thomas Tuchel and the club identified Kounde as the best candidate to come in and take over from those who left but at the same time, also named several other defenders as suitable prospects for Chelsea Football Club; he was just at the very top of the list.

The Blues had several attempts turned down by the La Liga side previously, with them wanting him to stay for one season at the Spanish club. Now, move on a season, the player wants to depart Spain in search of a new challenge, but he could have hindered a possible departure and lucrative move to West London.

This terrible news in return has left his employers infuriated now that a potential mega million sale could be off or the buyers request a lower transfer fee for him. Before Jules Kounde sustained a pelvic injury, it was rumoured that the Blues were edging closer to a deal with Sevillistas Rojiblancos for the French defender.

"Chelsea target Jules Kounde has angered Sevilla by re-injuring himself on international duty and potentially damaging a lucrative departure to Stamford Bridge this summer.He underwent surgery on Tuesday and according to The Sun, Sevilla are fuming that their £69million asset could have risked being sold this summer.Although the 23-year-old’s operation is deemed as minor to fix the long-standing issue, Sevilla are livid that Kounde chose to play for France in the first place while injured and risk jeopardising the deal. (Via: dailymail.co.uk)"

A Move Will Still Be Completed for Jules Kounde, Regardless of the Injury to the Defender

That is according to Goal.com, who believes Chelsea will not be sweating about the injury sustained while on international duty and feel a deal for the 23-year-old will still take place at around £55 million (€63 53m).

"Kounde remains Chelsea’s primary target and it is believed they will push to complete the deal as soon as they get feedback that the minor surgery was a success. It will leave the Blues able to complete the deal in early July at the latest, giving him a chance to be part of the pre-season group.Chelsea do still need to agree on a fee with Sevilla, who are ready to sell their most valuable asset for the right price. As first revealed on GOAL in May, the personal terms have already been verbally agreed.(Via: Goal.com)"

With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger having left Stamford Bridge a defensive reshuffle needs to be the key priority for Chelsea this summer. They need more than just Jules Kounde and probably need to add two or three more signings to the defensive line.

If other rumours are true, the Blues still have to worry about Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta leaving them, which adds to their summer work that needs to be completed before the new season kicks off.

France has two more National League group fixtures against Austria and Denmark, respectively. They have only collected two points from four fixtures and sit last in the Group 1 standings of League A. The next set of National League fixtures will only happen in September.