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Chelsea may have been handed an early transfer boost as one of the targets on their radar edges closer to the exit door.
The Blues didn’t make any major additions to their side over the winter window, with Liam Rosenior opting to remain the only senior arrival at Stamford Bridge in January.
He has had a decent start to life in the dugout in SW6, guiding his side to the round of 16 in the Champions League and going out to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, with the Gunners the only team Rosenior’s Chelsea have failed to beat in eight games.
But despite a quiet first window as Blues boss, we can expect the opposite once the summer rolls around – and the chances of bringing one particular target to Stamford Bridge may have just got a little more realistic.
Report claims Barcelona open to Jules Kounde summer sale
Spanish football news outlet Fichajes has stated that internal concerns over Barcelona’s financial state mean a big sale in the summer may be required to help ease their situation.
Defender Jules Kounde has been earmarked as a potential departure, with Fichajes implying that Hansi Flick is unhappy with the Frenchman’s recent performances.
He may not be the only one expecting more from the 27-year-old, as he came in for criticism earlier in the season, being accused by French outlet L’Equipe (as per Sport) of being ‘out of shape’ during the November international break.
Despite this, he has been consistently starting for Barcelona and carries plenty of Premier League interest, as Chelsea are joined by Liverpool and Manchester United as admirers of Kounde.
The high-profile would-be suitors for the Frenchman have led Barcelona to conclude that cashing in during the summer window could be a viable option.
Fichajes believes the Catalans would be after around €80m (£70m) from one of the interested parties.
Chelsea have numerous options at right-back, although captain Reece James has struggled to maintain his fitness, leaving Rosenior to rely on the likes of Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong.
While 19-year-old Acheampong possesses plenty of promise, Gusto is another defender who has been subject to criticism – harshly so, in the eyes of former manager Enzo Maresca.
Judging by the high turnover of managers at Stamford Bridge, short-term progress may well be high on Rosenior’s list of priorities. In this case, an upgrade such as this may well be worth pursuing.
Though with Kounde and Gusto both displaying their capacity to underwhelm, who’s to say what constitutes an upgrade? As the saying goes, you’re only as good as your last game.
But given Kounde has been a serial winner for club and country over a longer period of time, coupled with the fact that Gusto has chiefly failed to dislodge Reece James from the right-back slot despite his fitness troubles, adding the Barcelona ace to the squad would appear to be the safer bet on paper.
Gusto’s Chelsea contract doesn’t run out for another four years, so there could be plenty of cash exchanged if the Blues were to bite the bullet, not that you’d put it past them given their gung-ho approach to the transfer market in recent years.
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