Chelsea could now miss out on signing Jules Kounde after Sevilla reportedly raised their asking price.
The Blues have made the France international their priority target after completing a £97.5m deal for Romelu Lukaku earlier this month.
Chelsea’s push to sign Kounde did hinge on their ability to sell Kurt Zouma, who finally completed his move to West Ham over the weekend in a £29.8m deal.
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However, The Athletic claims that Chelsea’s bid to bring Kounde to Stamford Bridge has now been ‘halted’ after the La Liga club demanded a higher fee.
The report claims that the London side believed they had a ‘verbal agreement’ with Sevilla over the fee, but the Spanish club have now raised that figure further by €15m (£12.8m).
Chelsea have now told Sevilla that they will not match their new price for the Frenchman and are ready to pull out of the deal. Marca also reports that Sevilla are now demanding €80m (£68.5m) for Kounde and will not lower it before the deadline.
Sevilla are also believed to be having difficulty with finding a suitable replacement for the 22-year-old defender with little time remaining in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are happy with their current options in defence and Thomas Tuchel is pleased with Trevoh Chalobah’s impact so far after impressing in pre-season training over the summer.
Chalobah was handed his first-team debut in the win over Villarreal in the Super Cup this month and kept his place in the team for Chelsea’s victory against Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener.
Tuchel further showed his trust in Chalobah by bringing him on for Jorginho in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday. The Chelsea boss has also been buoyed by the form of Andreas Christensen.
‘Andreas has been very strong since day one. He plays in the central position and finished the game in the right position because we brought Thiago [Silva] on and decided to stay in a back five,’ Tuchel said after Chelsea’s draw with Liverpool.
‘He is very strong. Super talented. He loves Chelsea, he is a Chelsea boy from the academy. He has a huge impact. ‘In the moment I think he feels the trust. He knows he can absolutely help. He is a top defender and top guy.
‘I have the feeling he is growing every week in confidence and personality and self-confidence, which is good. He is doing fantastic since day one and getting better and better.’
