Chelsea are edging close to the signing of defender Jules Kounde. Transfer expert Gianluigi Di Marzio claims that the Blues are now set to complete a swap deal involving Kurt Zouma.
The La Liga outfit aren’t under pressure to sell. They recently did a deal with Tottenham which saw them sell Bryan Gil to Spurs, with Erik Lamela going the other way.
Kounde is one of Europe’s brightest young talents and he could prove a coup for Chelsea. Boss Thomas Tuchel has been on the lookout for a defender ahead of the new campaign.
Kounde’s arrival will push the French defender down the pecking order. With that in mind, including him in the deal makes perfect sense.
Di Marzio claims the deal will see Chelsea pay around £30 million for the sought-after defender.
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The youngster is a real talent and this sort of signing seems like the exact reason they appointed Tuchel as the club’s manager.
Kounde is a modern-day defender with an intelligent football brain on relatively young shoulders.
He currently earns £73,000-a-week in La Liga and he should be in line for a wage increase if he moves to Chelsea.
The Blues were solid at the back under Tuchel anyway but this will make them even more resolute.
With Kounde at the heart of the club’s rearguard, Chelsea could mount a challenge for the title this season.