Chelsea 'to make formal bid for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde today'

Sevilla have been told to expect a bid for defender Jules Kounde from Chelsea later today, according to a report.

The Blues have been interested in the 22-year-old throughout the summer and made him their number one defensive target, but put a deal on hold while they focused on signing Romelu Lukaku.

Now that the Belgian striker has arrived in West London, Thomas Tuchel is ready to make a bid for the £68m-rated Kounde.

Spanish newspaper ABC claims that the player's agent Jonathan Kebe has told Sevilla that Chelsea will make an offer in the next few hours.

However, Kounde will only accept a move to Stamford Bridge if he is guaranteed regular football.

The 22-year-old started his career at Bordeaux before moving to Sevilla in 2019, and he has made 89 appearances for the Spanish outfit.