First formal offer made for Jules Koundé

Chelsea are back in the fray for Jules Koundé. Last summer, the Blues tried right up until the last day to sign the center-back, but failed to strike a deal. Now, after watching Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen leave for free this summer, they need to strengthen their defence. Koulibaly’s arrival will not be the last and they hope that the next one will be Koundé. Chelsea have already made Sevilla an offer for 55 million euros plus variables and are waiting for a reply.

Sevilla return to training on Wednesday, after a few days off after their mini tour of South Korea. It is unknown when Koundé will return - he has more vacation time due to his involvement with France’s national team, and after undergoing surgery. Sevilla are due to travel to Lagos in Portugal on Thursday and it will be interesting to see if Koundé travels with the team or decides not to show up, while waiting for his future to be resolved. The French defender wants to bring an end to his time at Sevilla and everything indicates that this summer will be the one where he says goodbye.

Yesterday, AS reported that Koundé's most likely destination is Chelsea. The English club is ahead of Barça, who are hoping to activate the second stage of their rebuilding plan which will allow them to be able to register new players. However, they are already at a disadvantage in the race to sign the French centre-back. Koundé was close to completing a move to London last summer, only to end up staying for another season under Lopetegui.

Tüchel is a big fan of Koundé and hopes to bring together one of the best central defender pairings in Europe, Koulibaly-Koundé, and make up for the frustration of missing out on the player last season. In a window where there has been a lot of movement of defenders, Koundé is the top-level centre-back on the market. His future will soon be decided.