Barcelona or Chelsea? Can Koundé choose who has the upper hand?

Julés Koundé is probably the hottest stopper on the market right now. Barcelona and Chelsea are battling it out for the 23-year-old Frenchman’s signature, with Sevilla making a big splash on the price. Where will he end up?

Why is Koundé in such high demand? Because he is the prototype of the modern stopper. He’s fast, dynamic, perfect in the box, strong in duels, and although he’s smaller for a stopper (178 cm), he makes up for it with his great rebounding power.

Plus, he’s still only 23 years old, but he’s already got a lot of experience. He has already played five seasons in adult football, two at Bordeaux and three at Sevilla, where he also celebrated winning the Europa League.

In addition to being a stopper, he can also play right back, which makes him very valuable to his team. No wonder Chelsea and Barcelona are fighting over him. Last year Real Madrid was also interested in him, but the Andalusian club asked for 70-80 million euros and the transfer fell through.

Now Chelsea have come forward with their first offer. According to the renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, he sent an offer of 55 million euros + bonuses to Sevilla. The fourth team of La Liga, however, is asking for at least 65 million euros and wants to make a big profit on their gem.

But another team is also interested. So far, Chelsea have had a bit of an upper hand, as Barcelona have focused on signing Robert Lewandowski. But now the Catalans are stepping in and are willing to overpay Chelsea.

And they have one big advantage, Koundé has reportedly got used to life in Spain and doesn’t want to leave. That plays into the hands of Barcelona, who have now made a full-on push to sign Koundé.

Chelsea need to replace Rüdiger and Christens, who have just left for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Now they are fighting the Catalans again, this time for the signature of Koundé. Where will the 23-year-old Frenchman eventually head?

Source: Fabrizio Romano, GiveMeSport