La Liga club side Sevilla have turned down the bid by Chelsea for defender Jules Kounde which puts Barcelona at an advantage in the race to sign the defender.

Jules Kounde has been on the radar of Barcelona for the majority of the summer transfer window, while Chelsea have always shower interest, especially since losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers.

Chelsea have already secured the signing of Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly and were linked to Nathan Ake.

While Sevilla really wants to offload to this condo this summer, they only want to do it when the evaluation of the French defender is met, meaning that Chelsea’s bid of €55 million (£47m/$56m) falls short of their €65 million  (£55m/$66m) valuation.

Barcelona are highly linked with the 23-year-old, but they have already brought in Andreas Christensen on a free transfer while there are talks ongoing for Ceaser Azpilicueta.

Reports indicate that personal terms are being discussed with the Spaniard with an agreement already reached, while the only delay is both teams reaching an agreement for the transfer fee.

After bringing in Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Frank Kessie, attentions are now on strengthening the defense at Camp Nou.

Meanwhile, the saga continues with Frenkie De Jong as the midfielder insists on staying back at Camp Nou. An agreement has been reached by both Barcelona and Manchester United on the transfer fee for the player, but the player wants to stay beyond the summer.

A £63 million price has already been agreed, which could rise to £71 million with add-ons as United manager Erik Ten Hag is eager to sign a holding midfielder, especially one he has worked with at Ajax.

Unfortunately, despite Barcelona’s urgency to sell due to their financial situation, the player wants more of the city in Barcelona.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu