Barcelona are reportedly edging nearer to completing the signing of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
As recently as Friday, it was widely claimed that Chelsea were on the brink of finalising a deal for the France international with Barcelona having not made a formal bid.
Furthermore, the Premier League giants had agreed personal terms with the 23-year-old, seemingly leaving formalities to be tied up before an official announcement.
However, 24 hours later, the situation had changed with Barcelona asking the player to remain patient as they look to fund a move for his signature.
Although it has been consistently reported that Sevilla would prefer to sell to Chelsea due to a more favourable proposal and a desire to complete a transfer as soon as possible, Kounde did not show any urgency when it came to signing on the dotted line.
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According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the situation has developed to such an extent that Chelsea are close to accepting defeat.
Romano says that positive contacts have been held between the relevant parties with Kounde ready to accept personal terms with the La Liga giants.
Barcelona are allegedly working on "a final bid", something which will inevitably prevent Chelsea from making any further progress unless Kounde has a change of heart.
Chelsea are reportedly ready to start exploring other options with Thomas Tuchel eager to add to his defensive options ahead of the new season.
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That desire was strengthened over the weekend as Tuchel witnessed his Chelsea side succumb to a 4-0 defeat the hands of Arsenal in a friendly in Florida.
Although Tuchel has already brought in Kalidou Koulibaly, he still requires a second player to replace Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
From Barcelona's perspective, they are expected to pay in the region of £55m for Kounde, although the structure of the deal is likely to be different to that of Chelsea's proposal.
Despite Barcelona's ongoing financial issues, selling a percentage of their future television revenue has enabled president Joan Laporta to add a number of high-profile names to Xavi's squad.
Any deal for Kounde may also end Barcelona's efforts to sign Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea with Tuchel reluctant to lose the club captain.
Darren Plant
