Chelsea did not meet Sevilla’s valuation which was required to sign Jules Kounde, says head coach Julen Lopetegui

Chelsea probably had the best transfer window this summer as they roped in Remolu Lukaku and Saul Niguez making the team even more well rounded. However, the only player that they did not get was Sevilla centre back Jules Kounde.

The Frenchman was one of the top targets for the Blues this summer but they failed to land him at Stamford Bridge. However, recently Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui claimed that Chelsea failed to sign Kounde because they could not meet his valuation.

Lopetegui even claimed that he was powerless to stop the Frenchman from leaving Sevilla had the Blues come up with the right bid. Sevilla sporting director Monchi also echoed the same as he claimed that only paying his release clause would have lured him away from Sevilla. Kounde has a €80million release clause on his current contract.

The Blues managed to sell a lot of players including Kurt Zouma but never returned with a fresh bid. Rather they were keen on roping in Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid on the last hour of the deadline day.

Lopetegui however is very happy that Kounde has decided to stay for another season and feels that the Frenchman will be a key player for them in the current season.

“Kounde in the end has stayed because the club has decided that it was the right thing to do based on the evaluation of the offers they may have had,” he told Diario de Sevilla.

“For me, as a coach, that Jules stays is positive. With the evolution he has had in these two years, it is positive, without any doubt.

“We trust that he’ll continue to grow with us and, above all, perform, which is the most important thing.”

Lastly, Lopetegui ended the interaction on a lighter note as he joked about Kylian Mbappe. The Paris Saint Germain star was one of the most talked-about players in this transfer window as many clubs were interested in him. While Real Madrid failed to land Mbappe, Lopetegui jokingly revealed that Sevilla had also made a last-minute bid which got rejected.

“I knew that somehow or other you were going to ask me,” he said. “We tried to bring him in at the last minute, but we couldn’t.”