Chelsea are reportedly hoping to steal a march on London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde.
The 22-year-old enjoyed another stellar campaign under the tutelage of Julen Lopetegui last term and was rewarded with a place in France's Euro 2020 squad.
Spurs are thought to have a keen interest in Kounde, but the Frenchman is supposedly reluctant to join a club not competing in next season's Champions League.
As a result, AS claims that Chelsea are preparing to swoop in, and the Blues have made an 'important approach' as they seek to win the race for his services.
Sevilla would reportedly be open to offloading Kounde in order to negate the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Spanish giants could still demand a fee of €70m (£59.8m) in order to sanction a sale.
Real Madrid and Manchester United are also thought to be keeping tabs on Kounde, although the Red Devils have supposedly cooled their interest as they prioritise a move for Raphael Varane.
Kounde has already won one Europa League crown with Sevilla and played the full 90 minutes in France's 2-2 draw with Portugal during the Euro 2020 group stage.
Ben Knapton
