Chelsea Register Cesar Azpilicueta Replacement at Stamford Bridge
Sevilla defender Jules Kounde is close to signing for Chelsea. He has long been rumoured to join the London side but it appears the transfer will finally be going through for the Blues.
According to a tweet from Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports Golazo:
"Jules Kounde will sign a contract with Chelsea until 2027 having already agreed personal terms.#CFC have fought off competition from Barcelona, who haven’t made a formal counter-offer since they couldn’t match Chelsea’s £55m fee. Only formalities remain between #CFC & Sevilla."
Chelsea Centre-Back Incoming Allows for Outgoing
The move could pave the way for Chelsea legend César Azpilicueta to join Barcelona. Kounde can play where Azpilicueta played at centre-back and at right-back. He will have big boots to fill if he is to replace the Spanish defender, who has been at Chelsea for 10 years, winning the Premier League twice, the FA Cup four times and the Champions League.
Thomas Tuchel’s side has been in need of strengthening their defence this summer as Antonio Rüdiger joined Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen went to Barcelona. These players leaving has been a headache for Tuchel but Kounde joining will be a step in the right direction.
Jules Kounde’s Days Leading to Chelsea Transfer
Kounde was born in Paris, France and started his career at Bordeaux. He made 70 appearances for the French side before moving to Spain to join Sevilla in 2019.
The player has made 133 appearances for Sevilla and won the Europa League in 2020 with them. They beat Inter Milan 3-2 in the finals and he was voted into the team of the tournament. He predominantly played at centre-back for the Spanish side with former Manchester City player Jesus Navas at right back.
Kounde came up against Premier League opposition last season as his side was defeated by West Ham in the Europa League Round of 16.
He has 11 caps for France and helped his country beat Spain 2-1 in the final of the Nations League. At just 23 years old he has shown how he can compete when the pressure is on at the latter stages of competitions.
Jules Kounde will sign a contract with Chelsea until 2027 having already agreed personal terms. #CFC have fought off competition from Barcelona, who haven't made a formal counter-offer since they couldn't match Chelsea's £55m fee. Only formalities remain between #CFC & Sevilla.✅
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 22, 2022
What Chelsea Needs From Their New Signing
This is something that Chelsea will need as the new era under Todd Boehly will be looking to be as successful in winning trophies as the club was under Roman Abramovich.
The move makes sense from the player’s perspective, as moving to the Premier League will be a step up. Sevilla finished fourth in La Liga last season but moving to a Blues side that will be hoping to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the title, will be an attractive prospect for the player.
Pre-season for Chelsea in the USA has seen them beat Club America 2-1 but also lose on penalties to Charlotte FC. They will face Arsenal in the Florida Cup on Sunday.
Chelsea has already signed Raheem Sterling from City this summer. If the West London club is going to compete for the title this season it will need to add a striker to its ranks.
Romelu Lukaku has been allowed to rejoin Inter Milan whilst there are doubts over Timo Werner’s future at Stamford Bridge. Both players have turned out to be expensive flops for them.
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The defence has been boosted by the signing of Kounde but there is still work in the transfer market for Tuchel’s Chelsea if they are going to try and avoid City and Liverpool’s dominance under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, respectively.