Barcelona in advanced talks to sign Chelsea target Jules Kounde

Barcelona have reportedly jumped ahead of the queue in the pursuit of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, who also turns out to be a No.1 target for Premier League giants Chelsea.

The Blues have long been tracking the French centre-back, missing out on his transfer last summer.

With Thomas Tuchel currently depleted of options in the defence following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, Kounde has become their priority target.

Fabrizio Romano also reported that the Blues would soon submit their offer to the Andalusian outfit, who value Kounde at around €65 million.

Barca are now looking to turn the tables as Catalunya Radio reports that the Catalan giants are in advanced talks to sign the 23-year-old.

Despite their financial crisis, Barca are confident of going after high-priced targets if their economic levers get activated.

The Blaugrana are also ready to include a player as a makeweight in the deal to sign Kounde, with out-of-favour star Clement Lenglet tipped to return to Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

However, it still remains to be seen whether the reports are accurate and Barca can beat Chelsea for his signing.

Xavi wants reinforcements in the defence, but he is well aware that he couldn’t afford big-money signings owing to Barca’s economic condition.

The Blaugrana will continue to target more low-cost transfers, having already sealed the free transfers of Chelsea’s Christensen and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is also high on the wishlist of the Catalan giants, with the Senegalese defender stalling the contract talks with Partenopei.

As it stands, Barca’s priority turns out to be signing Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, who has already made clear that he wants to quit the Bavarians and move to Camp Nou.