Sevilla have told Chelsea to increase their offer for Jules Koundé, and the deal could run into further complications after West Ham entered the race to sign Kurt Zouma from their London rivals.
Chelsea have opened talks over a deal for Koundé and have proposed paying €35m (£30m) for the France centre-back and including Zouma on top of that. Sevilla are open to easing their financial problems by selling Koundé but are holding out for a bigger fee for the 22-year-old.
Koundé, one of the best defenders in Spain, has a release clause of €80m (£68.4m), which Chelsea are not willing to pay. Sevilla are renowned as tough negotiators and have indicated they want at least €45m in addition to Zouma.
Sevilla like Zouma, who is valued at £30m by Chelsea, and would be open to signing him as part of a deal. But West Ham are also hunting for defensive reinforcements and have registered their interest in the 26-year-old. They are willing to pay £20m, which is unlikely to convince Chelsea to sell.
Zouma, whose contract runs out in two years, could be tempted to join West Ham because he is settled in London. If that happens Chelsea could consider offering their third-choice left-back, Emerson Palmieri, to Sevilla as part of the Koundé deal.
One Chelsea player definitely on the move is Conor Gallagher, who is poised to sign for Crystal Palace on a season’s loan after turning down interest from Leeds and Newcastle.
