Barcelona to ‘rival Chelsea for Jules Kounde transfer as well as raiding Blues for Azpilicueta and Christensen on frees’

BARCELONA are plotting to hijack Chelsea's transfer pursuit of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, reports suggest.

The Blues came agonisingly close to signing the French powerhouse last summer but the transfer fell apart at the last minute due to negotiations stalling with Sevilla over his £68.5million release clause.

Sevilla's refusal to negotiate with Thomas Tuchel's side reportedly incensed Kounde who admitted that the transfer fiasco affected him mentally as the LaLiga 2021/22 season was about to begin.

However, the West London outfit are still keen on recruiting Kounde and will reportedly make another attempt to sign him next summer.

The Blues' desire to recruit the 23-year-old has only increased within the last month after contract talks with star defender Antonio Rudiger hitting a brick wall.

Rudiger's contract is up in the summer and he's demanding a whopping £225,000 per week and a signing-on bonus to remain at Stamford Bridge.

But if Barca have anything to do with it, Kounde will be heading to Spain to play in tense El Clasico games against rivals Real Madrid rather than cold nights in Stoke with the Blues.

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Barca boss Xavi is an avid admirer of Kounde and reckons he's the ideal man to help shore up his leaky defence that has conceded 25 goals in 22 LaLiga games this season, according to

But despite Xavi's keenness on signing Kounde, the Blues have a financial edge over the Spanish side who are currently recovering from a period of economic turmoil.

And if attempting to swipe Kounde from under Chelsea's noses wasn't enough, Barca are also hoping to leave the Champions League holders' defence obliterated by prising away the club's robust defensive duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen.

Both of the defenders are out of contract at the end of the season - meaning they can now agree terms with any interested parties.

Sport claim that Barca are hoping to take advantage of the pair's unresolved contract situations - and are planning to convince the duo to sign with them in the coming days.

And Barca have set their director of football Jordi Cruyff with the task of bringing the pair to the Nou Camp.

If their advances are successful, Christensen and Azpilicueta will join ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the club.