Chelsea could now ‘explore’ £60m Kounde alternative at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea will explore other options like Presnel Kimpembe if they miss out on Jules Kounde, says Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The west London club are at risk of losing the Sevilla defender to Barcelona in what would be a massive blow to manager Thomas Tuchel.

What is the latest transfer news involving Chelsea?

According to The Guardian, Chelsea’s move for Kounde is in danger of collapsing after Barcelona revived their interest in the Frenchman.

The newspaper states that the La Liga outfit are optimistic about their chances of winning the race for Kounde, which will come as bad news to Tuchel.

Despite having already signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, the German is in the market for a central defender after losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen earlier this summer.

Kimpembe is another name that has been mentioned, but talk about Chelsea signing him went quiet as they focused on landing Kounde. However, the Paris Saint-Germain man is an option they may have to seriously explore again as his France team-mate continues to slip further away from them.

As per The Sunday Times, the 26-year-old could cost in the region of £60m this transfer window.

What has Taylor said about Kounde, Kimpembe and Chelsea?

Taylor thinks Kimpembe could be a potential Kounde alternative for Chelsea.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Daily Express journalist said: “It looks like Kounde’s seemingly prepared to join Barcelona over Chelsea, which would effectively lead Chelsea to explore other options.

“I think one of those would be Kimpembe; there’s been a lot of talk about him in recent weeks. He’s a player that Tuchel worked with at PSG.”

Who else could Chelsea turn to if they miss out on Kounde?

Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar is another centre-back Chelsea could make a move for should Kounde end up joining Barcelona.

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has claimed that the Blues have expressed an interest in signing the 27-year-old before.

Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig is another defender Chelsea are thought to like. According to Transfermarkt, they have made an enquiry about signing the Croatian this summer but were told by the German club that he is not for sale.

Away from Gvardiol, Skriniar and Kimpembe, there are not too many other names that come to mind, so Chelsea’s options seem limited right now, especially with the first of that trio not even on the market.

With everything pointing towards Kounde moving to Barcelona, though, Tuchel is going to have to find some sort of alternative to the France international. Koulibaly’s arrival alone is simply not going to cut it after Rudiger and Christensen’s departures.

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