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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Chelsea transfer round-up: Blues close in on Romelu Lukaku, Jules Kounde deal on ice

Chelsea's transfer activity appears to be heating up during the final month of the summer window.

The Blues have barely done any business in the off-season, with the arrival of Marcus Bettinelli on a free transfer the sole acquisition that Thomas Tuchel's men have made.

Tuchel is known to be keen on bolstering his defence, but the most pressing priority for Chelsea this summer is the purchase of a world-class striker.

The Blues have been continuously linked with Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland all summer, but they now look to be closing in on an alternative attacker.

Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest transfer activity from Stamford Bridge.

Blues close in on Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku is nearing a switch back to European champions Chelsea (Getty Images)

The Blues pursuit of former striker Romelu Lukaku has been well-documented, but a move appeared to be a longshot with the Belgian striker content on and off the pitch in Italy.

However, that stance has changed in recent days - with Lukaku making it clear he'd be interested in a second spell at Stamford Bridge.

The Evening Standard report that the European Champions are trying to wrap up a deal for the hitman as soon as this weekend.

It's believed that the fee Chelsea would need to fork over would stand at £110m - eclipsing the British transfer record that was set as recently as Thursday when Jack Grealish joined Manchester City in a £100m transfer.

Lukaku spent three years at Chelsea as a teenager but departed in a £28m move to Everton after making just a handful of appearances.

The 28-year-old has unfinished business at Stamford Bridge, and Lukaku knows that he'll be the top dog for the Blues this time around.

Jules Kounde deal on ice

Can Lukaku fire Chelsea to the Premier League title? Comment below

Sevilla defender Jules Kounde's proposed switch to Chelsea is reportedly in limbo (Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

Thomas Tuchel is known to be in the market for a defender this summer to bolster the Blues backline.

And up until earlier this week, it appeared he had found his man in Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

However, according to Sport (via Sport Witness ), the Blues have temporarily shelved the deal for Kounde whilst they attempt to thrash out an agreement for Lukaku.

Chelsea are throwing everything behind their ambitious bid to bring the Belgian striker back to Stamford Bridge - leaving Kounde and his proposed transfer in limbo.

The same report states that Chelsea now have 'fresh doubts' about a deal for the Frenchman.

Kurt Zouma's future will likely play a part in the scenario, with The Guardian reporting that Zouma's reluctance to depart Stamford Bridge is causing issues in their pursuit of the Sevilla star.

Blues target set for Germany stay

Reported Chelsea target Niklas Sule is set to remain with Bayern Munich (GETTY)

With question marks over a deal for Jules Kounde developing, a potential defensive alternative looks to have been removed from the Blues transfer radar.

Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule was linked with the European champions earlier this summer.

But according to Inside Futbol (via Sport 1), Sule is now set to remain in Munich regardless of any interest from Chelsea.

The 25-year-old centre half has just entered the final 12 months of his current agreement with the German giants.

But new boss Julian Nagelsmann is determined to hang on to the defender.

The report goes on to state that despite Chelsea's previous interest, the Bundesliga outfit have received no bids for Sule and are hopeful that the German international will still be a Bayern player when the transfer window slams shut.

Get your hands on your club's special edition 2021/22 annual. Find out more here.

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