Sevilla have already lined up a replacement for Jules Koundé, should he leave in a big-money move to Chelsea as expected.
That’s according to Diario de Sevilla, who say the ‘psychological warfare’ has begun between the two clubs for the French centre-back.
The newspaper explains that Sevilla need to secure at least one big sale this summer after three seasons in which they have failed to do so.
That’s left their books looking a little shaky, so they want to sell one of their star men, either Koundé, Diego Carlos or Youssef En-Nesyri, to shore things up.
He’s set to be a ‘protagonist’ again, and Sevilla would prefer a sale before the end of June so they can write off the €41m deficit they presented at the last shareholder’s meeting.
Selling Koundé to Chelsea would fit the bill, and ‘everything seems to fit’ as Thomas Tuchel is ‘in love’ with the potential of the player, who is not only a great defender but versatile and comfortable on the ball.
The question is whether Sevilla can raise the €55m they rejected from Chelsea nine months ago, and that is set to be the ‘big negotiating battle’ between the two clubs.
In the meantime, Sevilla are eyeing up replacements and at the top of their list is Osasuna’s David Garcia.
He’s represented by YouFirst Sports, one of Sevilla director Monchi’s ‘trusted agencies’, and they have good reports on him. He’d cost €20m as that’s the value of his release clause, but Sevilla would be boosted by the money from selling Koundé.
First, they need to determine how high Chelsea are willing to go, but there is a desire on their part to sell quickly so they can balance the books and plan for the future.
