Barcelona will have to sell players immediately to sign La Liga defender

The transfer window has been a frustrating one for Chelsea. Not only have they lost two key centre-backs in Andreas Christensen to Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid on free transfers but also missed out on Raphinha’s signing.

Despite having everything seemingly agreed, the Brazilian stalled talks with the London-based club and chose Barcelona.

The same story seemed set to repeat with Jules Kounde. However, Gerard Romero reports that the Blaugranas will find it difficult to sign Kounde if they do not activate an exit operation in the coming hours.

The centre-back interests both Barcelona and Chelsea but his future is far from clear. While the Blues have already submitted a final offer and agreed on terms with Sevilla, the player prefers a move to Catalonia.

He also rejoined the Seville-based side’s preseason at the last moment to buy more time for his dream club.

However, it now seems difficult for Laporta to sign the youngster, despite activating the second economic lever.

If the club were to negotiate a departure, the names of Frenkie de Jong, Martin Braithwaite, Neto, and Riqui Puig come to mind. However, none of the players wants to leave Barcelona, putting the club in a tricky situation.

Last season, Kounde made 32 starts for Sevilla. He saw 13 clean sheets in that duration and averaged close to 10 defensive actions per game. His two goals and an assist came as the icing on the cake.