Barcelona's move for Sevilla's Jules Kounde has reportedly not changed their plans when it comes to attempting to bring Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta to the club.
Kounde looked set to move to Chelsea towards the end of last week, but it is believed that Barcelona have now agreed to sign the Frenchman, with Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming that there is now an agreement in place between all parties.
The centre-back is alleged to have agreed personal terms with the Catalan giants last weekend, with the team's head coach Xavi playing a key role in convincing the defender to reject interest from Chelsea to move to Camp Nou.
Kounde is likely to become Barcelona's fifth signing of the summer after Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.
However, according to Romano, the Catalan outfit are still intending to bring Azpilicueta to the club before the end of the transfer window.
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The report claims that Barcelona have told the Spain international that they are working on a deal for him, but Chelsea are still battling to keep hold of the experienced defender.
Azpilicueta is said to be confident that he will be able to complete a move to Xavi's side before the end of the summer transfer window.
The versatile defender has made 474 appearances for the Blues since arriving from Marseille in 2012, contributing 17 goals and 55 assists in the process.
Azpilicueta featured on 47 occasions in all competitions for Chelsea during the 2021-22 campaign, providing three goals and three assists, with 27 of his outings coming in the Premier League.
However, his contract at Stamford Bridge is due to expire next summer, and the player is believed to have made it clear to the Blues that he wants to return to Spain.
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Azpilicueta previously played in Spain's top flight for Osasuna, making 108 appearances for the Spanish club between 2007 and 2010 before moving to Marseille.
Despite their ongoing financial problems, Barcelona have already managed to make four high-profile signings this summer, with head coach Xavi looking to lead the club back to the top of European football.
Chelsea, on the other hand, missed out on Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich, and the club have now seemingly lost out to Barcelona for Kounde.
The Blues were beaten 4-0 by Arsenal in their last pre-season match, meanwhile, with head coach Thomas Tuchel heavily critical of his side in the aftermath of the contest.
Chelsea will take on Udinese in their final pre-season match of the summer on Friday night before opening their 2022-23 Premier League season away to Everton on August 6.
Matt Law
