Chelsea's £68m pursuit of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde held up after Kurt Zouma's move to West Ham stalls over £125,000-a-week wage demands despite clubs agreeing £26m fee
- Chelsea's pursuit of Jules Kounde is being held up by stalled sale of Kurt Zouma
- The Blues made Kounde their No 1 defensive target but delayed their pursuit
- Now the striker has signed in a £97.5m deal, Chelsea will move for Kounde
- But Zouma's West Ham move has hit a stumbling block over his wage demands
Chelsea's pursuit of Jules Kounde is being held up by the stalled sale of Kurt Zouma to West Ham, which has hit a stumbling block over the defender’s wage demands.
A £26million fee had been agreed for Zouma but the France international wants £125,000 a week.
Sevilla’s Kounde is rated at £68m and Chelsea need to sell to fund a move.
Chelsea's Jules Kounde pursuit is being held up by the stalled sale of Kurt Zouma to West Ham
A £26m fee had been agreed for Zouma but the France international wants £125,000 a week
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The Blues made the 22-year-old their No 1 defensive target this summer but delayed their pursuit of his signature to focus on securing Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan first.
Having successfully signed Lukaku for £97.5million, Chelsea are now set to make a move for Kounde - who featured in the France squad at Euro 2020 this summer.
However, Kounde will only accept a move to the Premier League side if he is guaranteed regular action and Champions League football.
Should this be agreed upon, Chelsea only have eight days to close a deal with the 22-year-old.
Sportsmail recently revealed that Tuchel is looking to streamline his squad to make way for the £68m rated France international.
Full back Davide Zappacosta is joining Atalanta on an initial loan with view to permanent £8million deal, while striker Ike Ugbo is joining Genk for £5m.
Thomas Tuchel (left) made Kounde his No 1 defensive target this summer but delayed the pursuit of his signature to focus on securing Romelu Lukaku (right) from Inter Milan first
Having signed Lukaku, Chelsea will make a move for Kounde (pictured with Lionel Messi)
Chelsea are also close to agreeing another loan to AC Milan for Tiemoue Bakayoko as the European champions monitor developments with Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez. Malang Sarr, 22, is discussing a loan to Bologna.
Kounde would be a valuable addition to Tuchel's squad after becoming one of the top defensive performers in Spain last season.
Last season Kounde won the most aerial duels (118), played the second most progressive passes (141) and made the second most clearances (140) of any defender in LaLiga.
Kounde also possesses a unique desire to win. According to Football London, the defender had to see a psychiatrist when he was younger to cope with his hatred of losing.
Should Chelsea acquire his services, he could become a long-term replacement for Cesar Azpilicueta in the Chelsea backline.
