(Football news) Jules Kounde is one of the hottest centre back properties in the world. He is reportedly set for a move away from Sevilla. Chelsea and Barcelona are the two clubs who are interested in signing the Frenchman. Despite Barcelona's financial troubles they have made some incredible signings this summer and Xavi is still pushing for Kounde. Chelsea on the other hand are under new ownership and have lost 2 starting centre backs while another one could be on his way out. It will come down to Sevilla's asking price on some level but it will ultimately come down to what Kounde wants.

Kounde has been playing in the La Liga for 5 years now. He already has the experience of playing in the League even though the bar will be raised at Barcelona. Chelsea on the other hand offers the challenge of a different league. Barcelona even after making good signings are in a transition period. Kounde is pretty versatile as he can play as a centre back or a right back. At Chelsea he will play on the right side of the back 3. At Barcelona, Xavi might use him as a right back because he has a lot of centre back options. The conversation that both Thomas Tuchel and Xavi will have with the defender could be the deciding factor. As for the clubs, Chelsea definitely need Kounde more than Barcelona because they are really short of centre backs. They have signed Kalidou Koulibaly but they did miss out on Matthijs De Jong who has joined Bayern Munich.

Barcelona have already signed Andreas Christensen who will be a good addition to their squad. As of now Chelsea have officially submitted a £55m bid while Barcelona is yet to make a proposal. Both the clubs are in talks with Kounde and the player is expected to make his decision soon. Chelsea have been interested in Kounde for over a year now and have recently stepped on the gas after negotiations with Nathan Ake were stalled. It will be interesting to see if Barcelona is able to match Chelsea's financial offer and if Kounde and/or Sevilla will be willing to accept less money from Barcelona.

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