Three players Chelsea could offer Sevilla in exchange for Kounde
Martin Macdonald
- 30 Jul 2021 09:47 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea are hoping to add to their defensive ranks this summer by acquiring Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
The Blues are already well-stocked in the centre-back position, with Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta all available to play in their preferred back three, with Reece James also able to play there.
Thomas Tuchel coached a mean backline, too, after replacing Frank Lampard as Chelsea's defensive solidity was a major reason why they managed to qualify for next season's Champions League and, of course, win last season's edition of the competition against Manchester City.
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The German still believes improvements can be made though and has prioritised the signing of a new centre-back.
Names like David Alaba, Niklas Sule and Sergio Ramos have did the rounds in the past but they have now identified Kounde as their number one target.
The Frenchman has emerged as one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe over the last couple of seasons, and would reportedly command a fee of around €80 million.
Though Chelsea could afford that, they are looking to bring the price down by offering players in part-exchange.
So, who could be added in as part of the deal?
Kurt Zouma
It seems as though Zouma has been a Chelsea player for quite some time, following loan moves to Stoke City and Everton over the past few seasons, but the defender only made the move to Stamford Bridge in 2014 when the Premier League giants signed him for £13.14m.
In that time Zouma has made no less than 150 appearances for Chelsea and while he may not be considered one of the club’s most valuable defenders at the moment, he still managed to make 36 appearances for the club last season.
Indeed, Zouma was by no means surplus to requirement at the club last season and should still fetch a hefty price after proving his worth in the Premier League at Chelsea and numerous clubs on loan.
Zouma could fetch around £30m if a team like West Ham make their interest concrete, but he has reportedly already been offered to Sevilla.
The Spanish giants, though, would prefer his team-mate.
Andreas Christensen
Sevilla's number one choice of player to be included in the deal is Christensen, who, like Zouma, was in and out of the starting XI last season.
Even though he only made 15 Premier League starts in 2020/21, he is still viewed as a key member of the squad, while the Chelsea hierarchy believe there is still a lot more to come from him as he enters his prime years.
He was particularly impressive in the Champions League final, throwing himself in front of a barrage of shots after coming on to replace the injured Thiago Silva.
Christensen also excelled at the European Championship as he helped Denmark reach the semi-final stage.
Chelsea would prefer not to include the 25-year-old, but if it proved to be the sweetener that Sevilla need to agree to sell Kounde, the Blues may not have a choice.
Emerson Palmieri
The Premier League giants want to include two players in part-exchange as part of the deal in order to continually lower Sevilla's asking price.
Palmieri is thought to be a certain inclusion as the Andalusian side want to bolster their options at left-back and wing-back.
The Italian will not take a significant chunk out of the asking price for Kounde, but Chelsea are happy to let him leave and free up his wages as they already have Marcos Alonso and Ben Chilwell down the left flank.
