Jules Kounde’s Sevilla rollercoaster since Chelsea transfer collapse

Jules Kounde was said to be furious after Sevilla rejected a £43million bid from Chelsea for him in the transfer window, but reports from Spain claim the situation is ‘normalising’

Jules Kounde is getting back on track at Sevilla after a roller-coaster ride since Chelsea’s failed bid for the defender.

Kounde was said to be furious after Sevilla rejected a £43million bid from the Champions League winners for his signature this summer.

West Ham’s swoop for Kurt Zouma had appeared to pave the way for Chelsea to sign Kounde, but the La Liga side demanded around £68.5m for their 22-year-old centre-back.

Amid uncertainty over his future, the defender didn’t travel for his side’s first league game of the season, a 1-1 draw away to Elche – with Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi later saying this was agreed with the club.

Kounde was then sent off in France’s World Cup qualifier against Bosnia, when his yellow card for a reckless challenge on Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac was upgraded following a VAR review.

It would be easy to think the frustration might have got to him after a dream link-up with his Premier League suitors fell through – especially after the Spanish Football Podcast claimed Kounde was so angry he ignored phone calls from Monchi and manager Julen Lopetegui.

But he was back in the Sevilla team for last week’s 1-1 draw with RB Salzburg in the Champions League, and Sunday’s 0-0 draw away to Real Sociedad.

And AS claims the fact he spoke to the media after the clash in San Sebastián shows his situation at the club is ‘normalising’.

Kounde slammed his side’s performance, saying “We are disappointed because we have not played well”.

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He said Sevilla had thrown the first half “in the trash, because we have not done anything well, neither add passes, nor get out of the pressure”, while the second half “was a bit better although without having many scoring opportunities”.

But while the defender’s comments were critical, AS says the fact he was even put forward to speak to the media showed that ‘after several months of madness, everything indicates that both Sevilla and Koundé are redirecting the situation’.

The Spanish publication points out that Sevilla are typically careful about who they choose to do post-match interviews, making sure that players are not selected for media duties if they are in ‘a compromising situation’.

The fact that Kounde spoke to reporters, therefore, is a sign that the club feel he is fully on board now that the transfer window is closed.

Chelsea will be expected to renew their pursuit of the highly-rated centre-back either in January or next summer.

But with Kounde contracted until 2024, Sevilla look likely to stick to their guns on their valuation, after Manchester City also showed interest in him last year before signing Ruben Dias from Benfica.

Speaking on transfer deadline day, Monchi said of the interest from Thomas Tuchel’s side: “The only written, formal offer from Chelsea came last Wednesday [August 25], around 5pm.

“We weren’t satisfied with the offer and it was linked to Chelsea selling a player. It was a decent fee, but it didn’t meet our criteria.

“We haven’t spoken with Chelsea since Friday night [August 27]. We all decided that it was best Jules didn’t travel to Elche.

“It’s normal for players to be affected by news of any kind. Last year he had the interest from City and now Chelsea this year.”