It’s summer transfer window deadline day, so let’s all rejoice! It’s the day when clubs wait until the last four or five hours to do the business that they had three months to already get done. Procrastination baby!
Chelsea have only made one real signing this summer, but it was obviously a massive one in Romelu Lukaku. Will Stamford Bridge make another addition here as the 11th hour draws near?
Let’s start with the latest on the pursuit of Sevilla central defender Jules Kounde. Sevilla Sporting Director Monchi was very informative of the situation, saying a whole lot:
“The only offer from Chelsea for Kounde was last Wednesday at around 5pm for an amount we didn’t like. It was linked to Chelsea selling a player. It was a decent fee but it didn’t meet our criteria.
“We responded with a counter-offer which had a deadline of Friday, to allow us to be able to sign a replacement. They did not respond to that counter-offer before Friday. Kounde’s clause never went up to €90m. It has always been €80m.
“We all decided that it was best Jules didn’t travel to Elche. It’s normal for players to be affected by news of any kind. Last year he had the interest from City and now Chelsea this year.”
Chelsea have the money to meet that amount, but do they have the resolve? In selling Kurt Zouma to West Ham, it was thought that the Kounde acquisition was a matter of when, not if.
Roman Abramovich’s club is running out of time.
Elsewhere, the latest on long term target Saul Niguez.
According to the Daily Mail, and an increasing number of other outlets, the Blues have made a breakthrough in their pursuit of the Atletico Madrid midfielder. Reportedly, it won’t be a straight up purchase, but a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the season.
This one had been essentially dead for a couple days, but both sides reportedly put in a lot of work to get this one revived.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, 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,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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