Jules Kounde 'desperate to leave Sevilla amid Chelsea, Barcelona links'

Jules Kounde is reportedly desperate to leave Sevilla during this summer's transfer window, but the centre-back is yet to attract any offers for his services.

The Frenchman was again in impressive form for Julen Lopetegui's side during the 2021-22 campaign, making 44 appearances in all competitions, contributing three goals and one assist in the process.

Kounde still has two years left to run on his contract at Estadio Ramon, but there has been a host of speculation surrounding his future in recent weeks, with Chelsea and Barcelona both said to be keen on his services.

However, according to Marca, there has been no progress on a potential move, with Chelsea instead looking at Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt, Manchester City's Nathan Ake and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.

Sevilla are believed to be looking for a fee of at least £55m, and the La Liga outfit were under the impression that they were going to receive a number of offers for him in the current market.

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Lopetegui's side allegedly want the money to reinvest in the squad for next season, while Kounde is determined to force a move away from Estadio Ramon ahead of the new campaign.

Barcelona are said to be admirers of Kounde, but the Catalan outfit are expected to soon confirm the arrival of Andreas Christensen on a free transfer from Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Xavi's side are focusing on bringing Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski to Camp Nou and do not have much room for manoeuvre this summer due to their financial problems.

Sevilla chief Jose Maria Cruz admitted towards the start of June that Kounde is keen to leave the club this summer in search of pastures new.

"Again, the player, I am sure, respects Sevilla FC. He is happy with us. In the case of Kounde, it is not a matter of money. It's a matter of him wanting to play in a more competitive team than Sevilla FC," he told Sport Witness.

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"I am sure he is a player that is attractive for teams like Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and these types of teams. He wants to play in a more competitive team.

"It's the same case we had some years ago with [Clement] Lenglet. He was very happy, but he thought after playing some years at Sevilla FC, he was prepared to go to FC Barcelona.

"The first time we received an offer for him was a season before he was transferred. He [Lenglet] and his father told us they didn't leave Sevilla then because they preferred to stay here and play a lot of matches."

Kounde joined Sevilla from Bordeaux in July 2019, and he has represented the Spanish outfit on 133 occasions in all competitions, contributing nine goals and three assists in the process.

The defender, who helped his club win the 2019-20 Europa League, has also been capped on 11 occasions by France, with his last appearance coming against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on June 13.