Why Jules Kounde's Chelsea transfer has been thrown into doubt
Robin Bairner
- 15 Jun 2022 16:10 BST
- 3 min read
Jules Kounde has reportedly left Sevilla “furious” after aggravating an injury problem that has plunged his transfer to Chelsea into doubt.
The defender sustained a problem playing for France against Croatia on Monday, which has forced him to have surgery in his homeland.
Now the Spanish club are fearful that their summer transfer plans might have been blown apart by the issue, which may cause Chelsea to have second thoughts over the 23-year-old.
“Kounde will undergo an operation on Tuesday in Bordeaux for a minor pelvis injury,” Sevilla reported in a statement.
“If everything goes as expected, the French international will be available for the start of the 2022/23 season.”
It is an issue that has left Sevilla fuming, according to the Sun.
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Why Kounde injury matters to Chelsea
Kounde’s surgery is a big deal for both Chelsea and Sevilla, with the latter having been counting on his €80 million release clause to fund their summer business.
For the Blues, meanwhile, they need a defender who can hit the ground running at the start of 2022/23 after losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers. Furthermore, there is also the prospect of Cesar Azpilicueta departing, while there are headaches on the left side of defence, where Marcos Alonso’s future is uncertain and Ben Chilwell is returning from a lengthy injury layoff.
It is not just the fact that Kounde is injured, it is also the type of recurrent issue that he has. The surgery may clear the pelvic problem up, but can Chelsea gamble €80m on a player they have no guarantees will be able to play the majority of games next season?
Sevilla had been hoping for the full amount of his release clause but it may be that Chelsea try to knock that price down. With Kounde unable to train in the short-term, there is no immediate rush to get a transfer over the line, but the Stamford Bridge club will be cautiously looking to other targets with a view to the opening day of the Premier League season on the weekend of 14 August.
