Tottenham revive interest in Chelsea target as Conte looks for reinforcements - Reports
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea target and Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde.
According to reports from ABC Sevilla (via Sport Witness), Spurs have revived their interest in Kounde. Spurs made an attempt to sign the defender last summer as well, but failed to do so and went on to buy Cristian Romero instead.
Kounde reportedly rejected Tottenham's interest earlier due to sporting ambitions, with the club falling to the UEFA Conference League. Although the north Londoners have exited the third-tier continental competition as well, Antonio Conte's presence at the helm could change Kounde's mind.
Jules Kounde when his agent asked if he was interested in spurs: twitter.com/jkeey4/status/…
Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid are also rumored to be interested in the Frenchman. The Blues, in particular, were extremely close to signing Kounde last summer. However, Sevilla shut the door on the deal by stating that Chelsea didn't make an offer in the timeline they had put in place.
Thomas Tuchel's side certainly have bigger ambitions at the moment than Tottenham. Chelsea are the defending UEFA Champions League winners and are in the race for this season's Premier League title despite a few recent hiccups. However, Tottenham are also steadily climbing up the table and are six points off the top four with three matches in hand.
Kounde might still be convinced that a move to Chelsea or Real Madrid will be better for his career in the immediate future. If that is the case, Tottenham's best chance of signing the 23-year-old is by activating his €80 million release clause next summer.
Chelsea and Tottenham target Jules Kounde has been excellent this season
Jules Kounde has ensured the transfer drama involving Chelsea in the summer didn't affect his performances this season. The centre-back has been vital in Sevilla's challenge for the La Liga title.
Kounde has featured 21 times this season for the Andalusians, providing one assist. His solidity in defense has helped Sevilla move up to second in La Liga. Julen Lopetegui's side are six points behind league leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand.
💫2️⃣ JULES KOUNDÉ - Sevilla💃
On Saturday evening Jules Koundé played two positions and was an absolute rock in both of them🪨
Part of the holy trinity according to @ChrisLail, @MattClark_08 gave him his props on the pod.
#LLL
🧡🇪🇸⚽ https://t.co/qkJ4ddoPb4
Overall, Kounde has made 110 appearances for Sevilla across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing three assists.