Chelsea are on the verge of completing a £42m move to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla despite their deal to sell Kurt Zouma to West Ham close to collapsing on Wednesday.
Kounde has been Chelsea’s main target to bolster Thomas Tuchel’s defensive options this summer but they have needed to sell at least one central defender before the deal could be done.
Chelsea had agreed a £25.6m fee with West Ham for Zouma this week but the player’s wage demands were proving to be a stumbling block.
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Reports emerged on Wednesday that negotiations between Zouma’s agents and West Ham had reached a breaking point and the deal could be called off.
But, talks resumed later on Wednesday evening and both teams still hope that an agreement can be finally reached.
However, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Chelsea have pressed ahead with their efforts to sign Kounde and a £42m deal plus bonuses has been agreed.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have also held discussions with Atletico Madrid over a loan deal to sign Saul Niguez.
Manchester United are also keen on the player but it is understood that only Thomas Tuchel’s side have made an approach to Atletico so far.
Chelsea are keen on a season-long loan with an option to sign permanently, similar to the deal they agreed with Real Madrid for Mateo Kovacic in 2018.
But, Chelsea’s push to sign Saul hinges on whether they can sell some of their unwanted midfielders which include Ross Barkley, Bakayoko and Drinkwater.
