A move to Stamford Bridge for Jules Kounde this summer was well on the cards. In fact, Chelsea seemed prepared to make a £50m bid for the Frenchman towards the end of the transfer window before Seville decided to increase their asking price to £70m.
With negotiations breaking down and Trevoh Chalobah proving to be a capable defensive solution for the Blues, speculations over Kounde subsided.
However, a brief exchange between the two players on social media has caught fans’ attention, rekindling rumours about a possible move in the offing.
Commenting on Jules Kounde’s Instagram post, Chalobah dropped a “cold face” emoji, and fans were quick to respond, most of them asking Chalobah to convince Kounde to make the move.
Responding to the comments, Kounde replied with a “look out” emoji, insinuating that he’s seen and read everything.
Some fans were of the opinion that this brief exchange was far more telling than it appeared, hinting at a possible move that remains yet to be disclosed.
Unless I’m missing something and these guys know eachother, then this is very telling, hopefully we have a deal in place that’s not allowed to be revealed yet. pic.twitter.com/cXKRLeyGEo
— Pys (@CFCPys) December 4, 2021
Chalobah’s emergence as a genuine first-team player has earned him a new contract that should see the defender remain at Stamford Bridge till 2026. In light of such a development, Thomas Tuchel had admitted to re-assessing their pursuit of Kounde.
However, as things stand, first-team players Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are soon out of contract. With Bayern Munich and Barcelona interested in both the defenders, respectively, the two have kept their cards close to their chest over the future.
This leaves open the possibility of a defensive reinforcement in the form of Jules Kounde, on whom Chelsea have had eyes for a while now.
And whether or not it’s a case of fans reading too much into the exchange, only the coming month of January can tell.