Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde, according to 90min.
Chelsea thought they had won the race for the Frenchman late last week after agreeing a fee with Sevilla to go alongside a deal over personal terms with the player, only for Barcelona to undergo a late change of heart and pursue an agreement of their own.
The Catalan side agreed a contract with Kounde and then opened talks with Sevilla over a transfer fee, initially falling short before agreeing to meet the asking price of €50m plus €10m in add-ons.
Discussions were held on Wednesday about a payment plan and sources have now confirmed that Sevilla have accepted Barcelona’s proposal, finally permitting Kounde to make his long-awaited move to Camp Nou.
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Kounde was given the chance to choose between Chelsea and Barcelona and he has opted to join up with Xavi’s side, becoming the Blaugrana’s fifth senior signing of the summer.
With Kounde delaying his final agreement, Chelsea had already started looking at alternatives in anticipation of missing out on his signature, with Leicester’s Wesley Fofana thelatest addition to a shortlist which includes Villarreal’s Pau Torres, RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, Inter’s Milan Skriniar, PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe and Bayern Munich duo Dayot Upamecano and Benjamin Pavard.
Barcelona have already beaten Chelsea to the signing of Raphinha this summer, while they took Andreas Christensen on a free transfer and managed to convince Ousmane Dembele to snub a move to Stamford Bridge in favour of signing a new contract. Robert Lewandowski also had his heart set on a move to Barcelona and declined talks with Chelsea as a result.
The two sides aren’t done with each other yet, however, as Barcelona remain confident of luring Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso away from Chelsea and talks over a double deal are making progress.
As for Sevilla, they are already looking at replacements for Kounde and have Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile in their sights.
