Sevilla chief Monchi lifts the lid on Kounde transfer talks with Chelsea

As the transfer window approaches its final hours, Monchi has lifted the lid on talks between Sevilla and Chelsea for Jules Kounde.

Sevilla’s director of football, Monchi, has confirmed Chelsea lodged an offer for Jules Kounde last week but haven’t been in touch since.

With a deal for Romelu Lukaku done, Chelsea turned their sights to La Liga. But a loan agreement for Saul Niguez is unlikely, as Atletico Madrid wanted to include a €40 million buy obligation for the midfielder. Kounde, on the other hand, has been a top priority, especially as interest from other clubs remains.

While Chelsea indeed made an offer for the defender, it fell short of Sevilla’s asking price. The Andalusian side sent a counter-offer but are yet to hear back from the European champions.

“There are possibilities he could leave between now and 00.00 [CET], the same as his teammates have because of his clause,” said Monchi, as quoted by Orgullo de Nervion.

“Yes, there has been interest from a club that the player liked, which was Chelsea. The first formal offer we received was on Wednesday, with an amount that did not satisfy our requirements and relied on Chelsea selling a player.

“We responded with a counter-offer that had an expiry date, which was Friday. Since Friday, until now, there has been no contact whatsoever with Chelsea.

“To the first offer for Kounde, we answered with an idea of our own. Everyone looks after their own interests, and the club has respected one hundred percent when there has been interest from other teams, and the player didn’t think it was convenient.

“Kounde’s [release] clause has never been €90 million, but €80 million.”