Chelsea won’t play another match until July 24, when they take on Wrexham in a summer exhibition. That means it is officially silly season, and with that, time to talk transfers. Frenchman Jules Kounde got away from the Blues two summers ago, electing to sign with FC Barcelona, instead of the southwest London club.
Stamford Bridge thought they had the Parisian lured away from Sevilla, but the Catalan club ultimately hijacked their deal in the end.
Chelsea are hoping to close the Jules Kounde deal (they were in line to pay £51m in 2022) this time around, according to multiple outlets.
As Enzo Maresca moves closer to finalizing his deal to become the next Blues boss, he is drawing up his short list of top transfer targets. Jules Kounde is said to be near the top of the list.
Caught Offside has more on this narrative at this link. Still want more, Give Me Sport is covering this developing situation as well, citing a different outlet from a different country.
Shifting gears to Armando Broja, his loan deal at Fulham totally flopped.
The Albanian striker didn’t produce, at the club just shortly up the road, and now his transfer market value has significantly dropped.
Todd Boehly and company were looking to get £50m in January for the wayward forward, but now they might have to accept a fee of just £25m-£30m.
According to the BBC, there are some interested parties in Europe, including AS Monaco. We’ll see if the Principality club makes a move, because we do know that Broja is leaving regardless.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.