Chelsea still in talks for Koundé, and only Koundé at center back — reports

Chelsea are almost over the finishing line with Romelu Lukaku’s transfer, which should mean that we can get back to focusing once again on the Jules Koundé deal, which has “stalled” over the past week.

The biggest reason for said delay is the two teams being unable to agree a compromise over the transfer fee just yet, with Chelsea not willing to go as high as Sevilla’s €80m demand and Sevilla not willing to settle for anything else. There are some side concerns as well, including the uncertainty over Kurt Zouma’s future, which may need some clarity before we pull the trigger on Koundé. Sevilla director Monchi is reportedly more than happy to play the waiting game (and look for replacements in the menatime) while remaining largely uninterested in part-exchange deals.

The delay has created space for some rumors to claim that Chelsea are considering dropping out, especially with cheaper options potentially available, such as Niklas Süle or Bayern Munich, who was one of the first names linked with us this summer. Bayern’s asking price for Süle is around €30m, but as Sport1 notes, he’s unlikely to depart this summer.