Spanish giants Barcelona have confirmed that they have reached an agreement in principle with Sevilla for the transfer of defender Jules Kounde, a transfer which could have an impact on Leicester City.
The defender is set to undergo a medical and sign his contract with Barcelona over the next few days, but the confirmation will come as a blow to City’s Premier League rivals Chelsea. The Blues were said to have made a £55 million offer to Sevilla for the defender, but a late move by Barca put an end to their hopes of signing the player.
Chelsea are on the lookout for defenders this summer, after the departures of Andreas Christensen, who himself joined Barcelona, and Antonio Rudiger. Thomas Tuchel’s side have signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, but are said to be keen on adding more to their backline in the coming weeks.
Barcelona’s announcement now means that Chelsea will move onto other targets. A move for Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Ligt are said to have broken down earlier this summer, it is said that City defender Wesley Fofana is one of the names on the list.
City are not likely to be wanting to listen to any offers for the 21-year-old, who signed a new five-year deal earlier this year. It means that Chelsea would have to make a massive offer for City to even consider losing one of their star players this window.
But it’s not just potential interest in Fofana where the Barcelona deal could impact both Chelsea and Leicester. City have been credited with an interest in Blues’ defender Levi Colwill since the January window, after he impressed on loan with Championship side Huddersfield last season.
The left-footer is the most logical fit in the type of defender City are looking for in the current window, with Brendan Rodgers keen to add a player in the mould of Fofana. But a move could be dependent on Chelsea’s transfer activity
Should the Blues be successful in bringing in defensive reinforcements this summer, then it will make it more likely for them to send the 19-year-old out again this season, either on loan or permanently. However, should they fail to sign any new defenders Tuchel could take the decision to keep the player around his squad in order to provide cover and push for a starting place.
As well as Fofana, Chelsea have been credited with an interest in Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, as they try and hijack Paris Saint Germain’s move for the Slovakian. Another name to be linked is PSG defender Presnsel Kempembe.
A deal for either of those two, or any other defender at Chelsea this summer, could be good news for City this transfer window in terms of both incomings and outgoings. The move to Barcelona also means that Kounde will not feature for Sevilla in City’s final pre-season clash against the Spanish side at the King Power Stadium on Sunday evening.
