"My understanding is" - Journalist says Chelsea move for £60m star is "on the table"

Chelsea ‘have not given up’ in their efforts to tempt Sevilla into sanctioning Jules Kounde’s move to Stamford Bridge and they are ‘confident’ of being able to strike a deal for less than the defender’s release clause, according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.

Having seen Antonio Rudiger join Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen also leave following the expiry of his contract, Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel is desperate to strengthen his backline.

According to Spanish sources, Chelsea have turned their attentions back to Kounde and made contact with Sevilla after initially focusing on other targets.

The report suggests negotiations over the 11-cap France international have taken place and the Premier League side have informed Kounde’s current employers of their intention to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible.

Kounde is understood to be agitating for a move to Stamford Bridge and the delay has had an impact on Sevilla’s transfer plans, with them seeking a minimum of £56million.

The centre-half has been a long-term target for Tuchel and Chelsea came close to striking a deal when they agreed a fee with Sevilla last summer, only for the La Liga giants to have second thoughts and insist they would not offload Kounde unless his release clause was met.

Kounde has entered the final two years of his £69,000-per-week contract at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

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Jacobs understands the buyout clause written into Kounde’s Sevilla deal is just shy of £60million, meaning he could end up becoming the fourth most expensive signing in Chelsea’s history.

However, the journalist believes the Blues are eager not to part with quite so much cash and are