Done Deal: Medical Plan for Tomorrow as Chelsea Set to Sign Jules Koundé from Sevilla

Sevilla hope to be able to ‘negotiate upwards’ with Chelsea over Jules Koundé after giving themselves breathing room with the sale of Diego Carlos.

That’s according to ABC Sevilla and Diario de Sevilla, who cover the Blues new efforts to sign the French defender.

The two newspapers explain that Chelsea are back in the picture for Koundé, who they tried to sign last summer but couldn’t because Sevilla refused to lower their demands.

The situation has now changed, and ABC say Thomas Tuchel’s side have ‘all the requirements’ to get a deal done.

This is because their takeover is nearing completion after the Portuguese Foreign Ministry sanctioned the sale; something that was required as Roman Abramovich is a Portuguese citizen.

That will open the door for them to do transfer business once more, and Sevilla are waiting for Chelsea’s interest in Koundé to ‘bear fruit’ in the form of a first offer.

The Blues offered €50m last summer, but Sevilla want more than that and hope, with the pressure relieved on their own finances thanks to the sale of Carlos, that they can ‘negotiate upwards’.

Diario back this up, stating the Spanish side will ‘have more strength to negotiate’ with Chelsea, who are the highest bidder for the defender.

According to their sources, the Blues are ‘considering making’ a €60m offer for the defender, a figure that Sevilla would probably be more than happy to take.

However, they want as much as they can get and with the need for funds now reduced, they can spend some time negotiating to get it.

The news has cast doubt on whether Chelsea will get Kounde, who also plays at centre-back for Sevilla. 

However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea’s interest in the Frenchman remains.

Romano adds that Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is an admirer of Kounde, who’s keen to move to the Premier League. 

Chelsea look like they’ll be able to open talks with the player sooner or later with Todd Boehly’s takeover of the club finally completed. 

The UK government and Premier League had already approved the takeover, but final ratification from the government of Portugal was required for the deal to go through as Abramovich holds a Portuguese passport

“The two responsible national authorities – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance – have given the green light to the request received on behalf of Roman Abramovich for a humanitarian derogation, allowing the English club to be transacted.

“The Portuguese authorisation follows the guarantee given by the British authorities that the proceeds from the sale will be used for humanitarian purposes, not directly or indirectly benefiting the owner of the club, who is on the European Union sanctions list. The national position has the agreement of the European Commission.