Thomas Tuchel has managed to convince Sevilla defender Jules Kounde to choose Chelsea over Barcelona with the west London club finally closing in on an agreement, according to reports.
For several weeks, Barca appeared to be leading the race for the France international and were ready to submit an offer as soon as their latest financial ‘lever’ had been activated.
Chelsea, meanwhile, had been chasing other targets despite their long-standing interest in Kounde, but Matthijs de Ligt opted to join Bayern Munich instead and they could not agree a fee with Manchester City for Nathan Ake.
That saw them return to Sevilla with an offer worth around £55million, though Barca – who are not able to match that bid – still hoped Kounde would opt for a move to Camp Nou.