Chelsea to ‘BREAK THE BANK’ and sign Barcelona star due to Real Madrid threat

Robin Bairner

29 Mar 2025 11:30 GMT
3 min read

Lamine Yamal and Jules Kounde of Barcelona celebrate scoring against Getafe, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Chelsea are ready to make a colossal offer to sign one of Barcelona’s most important players, according to a report from Spain.

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Jules Kounde has come onto the radar of the Stamford Bridge outfit, who previously tried to snap up the France international when he left Sevilla in 2022.

Current ETV

Jules Koundé

D (CR)

Barcelona

Jules Koundé

D (CR)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€51.9M - €63.4M

An almighty transfer battle took place between Barcelona and Chelsea on that occasion, with the Blaugrana surprisingly prevailing off the back of a €50 million deal that appeared impossible for the cash-strapped outfit.

Three years later, Barcelona could be about to field another enormous bid from the Blues for the 26-year-old, whose contract expires in 2027. Sport claims that the Premier League giants are “ready to break the bank” for the former Bordeaux ace.

Chelsea want to sign a centre-back in the summer, and while Kounde has primarily featured on the right for Barcelona, the Blues could shift him back into the middle of defence.

Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen has been targeted, but Real Madrid’s increasing interest in the Spain international defender is seen as a problem and has forced the Blues to explore other possibilities.

© IMAGO - Jules Kounde: Barcelona star is wanted by Chelsea again

Chelsea can offer Kounde something he's long wanted

Barcelona are in a strong position to retain Kounde, who has a release clause of €1 billion in his current deal. The Camp Nou side are aiming to tie the Frenchman down to a fresh contract.

Kounde is seen as a right-back in the long term for the Catalan side, who are primed to add Jonathan Tah to their roster of central defenders in the summer, with the Bayer Leverkusen star poised to sign as a free agent.

Previously, playing in this role has caused friction between the player and the club because he prefers featuring in the centre of the defence – a possibility that Chelsea are prepared to offer him. This issue seems to have been resolved, however.

It remains to be seen whether this, and a colossal offer from the Blues, are sufficient to prise Kounde away from LaLiga’s leaders.