Barcelona President Joan Laporta confirms Barca target 'has been signed by Chelsea'

Sevilla defender Jules Kounde transfer saga continues with Barcelona and Premier League side Chelsea battling for his signature. However, reports have emerged that Chelsea is close to signing the player unless Barcelona comes up with a good offer. According to a reports, the 23-year-old defender himself has decided to hold out for the Spanish club to negotiate with Sevilla. 

Is Jules Kounde heading to Chelsea?

As per the report, Chelsea saw their £55 million bid for Jules Kounde accepted by Sevilla this week with the France international agreeing on a five-year contract. Kounde made 32 La Liga appearances, guiding Sevilla to fourth in the division and back into the Champions League. Barcelona on the other hand have to deal with the financial situation in order to sign the French defender. The Blues are currently looking to fill centre-back slots following the departure of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

The report further states that Barcelona President Joan Laporta has now appeared to have accepted defeat in matching Chelsea’s proposal. In a conversation with a Barcelona supporter which was captured by Relevo, Laporta was asked if the club are signing Kounde, to which he replied: ‘No, he is going to sign for Chelsea.’  According to The Guardian, Barcelona has urged Koundé to wait for them to meet Sevilla’s asking price.

However, others have questioned whether Barça has the funds available after signing Robert Lewandowski. According to Goal.com, the French defender is now exploring the possibility of moving into the house recently left vacant by Romelu Lukaku following his loan move back to Inter. If Koundé joins Chelsea, experienced defender César Azpilicueta could make his move to Barcelona, who also want Marcos Alonso

Chelsea news: Players signed by Thomas Tuchel so far 

Chelsea have been quite busy in the transfer season bringing in more reinforcements to plug the hole left following the departure of couple of players. With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger heading to Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, Chelsea shelled out £34 million ($41m), including add-ons, to get the signature of the experienced Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. While Romelu Lukaku left for Inter on loan deal, Chelsea signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.