Tottenham Hotspur trailing Chelsea in the pursuit of La Liga defensive ace

Tottenham Hotspur trailing Chelsea in Jules Kounde transfer pursuit 

According to Spanish news outlet AS (h/t Football.London), Chelsea have already made an offer for Tottenham Hotspur target Jules Kounde.

Chelsea’s pursuit of the Frenchman over the summer was well-documented, and it appeared that a deal would be completed eventually. Sevilla, however, decided at the last minute that they wanted the 23-year-old’s €80 million release clause to be paid in full.

Following some excellent performances for the Andalusian team, Kounde has solidified his position as one of La Liga’s top centre-backs. And in the battle for his signature, Spurs executives may need to defeat Paris Saint-Germain, who are still pushing for the Frenchman.

Kounde is a player that Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are both interested in. However, the Blues have already made their move by tabling a £46.7million offer for the Frenchman. 

Ben Davies has been the North Londoners’ stand-in left centre-back for the majority of Conte’s time there. Davies is a full-back by nature, therefore the manager’s decision to pursue Kounde makes sense all the more.

The upcoming season will be important at the N17 since Tottenham will strive to go all-out and challenge for titles under Antonio Conte. Conte is known to favour players with a particular skill set, and it looks like Joe Rodon isn’t on his list. Should we sell the Welshman, an addition is necessary.

After acquiring Kounde, Antonio Conte might be able to pitch his preferred back line of three central defenders. Currently, Ben Davies fills in as a left central defender, but that may soon change.

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However, with Chelsea apparently looking to lavish their fortune on his signature, Tottenham are expected to have tough competition in the hunt for Kounde. But it’s unclear whether Spurs will beat their city rivals in the race to pry Kounde away from Seville this summer.