Chelsea eyeing De Ligt; Koundé ‘no longer their top target’

After a nearly two-season-long pursuit, Chelsea appear to basically give up the idea of signing Jules Koundé from Sevilla. Instead they are focusing on the opportunity to sign Matthijs De Ligt. And that’s great news for Barça.

According to the latest transfer round-up from Telegraph, Chelsea puts De Ligt at the top of their wishlist, ahead of Koundé and anyone else at the position.

There’s every chance that Koundé goes to Barcelona in the meantime, as Chelsea were close to signing the Frenchman. Now, with Chelsea out of the race, there should be a ‘Via Libre’ for Barcelona to sign Kounde.

Sevilla can still play hardball and demand the release clause. However, with 2 years left in Koundé’s contract, that might be a mistake,  as next summer he’ll cost a lot less.

It’s no secret that Xavi wants to sign another center back this summer. With Christensen deal all but announced, the club looks for another fast defender. The 2 main candidates are Koundé and Koulibaly.  The French is younger but would cost a lot more than the Senegalese.

According to recent reports, Xavi spoke with Jules and explained the project to him. Therefore, the Frenchman now only wants to come to Barcelona. That might influenced Chelsea to look for other targets.