Chelsea focus on three alternatives after Barcelona block their moves for Kounde

Chelsea have lost the chance to sign Jule Kounde as he prefers a move to the Spanish side Barcelona this summer even though the Blues had reached an agreement for him first.

With Kounde out of their reach, a report via the UK Guardian disclosed the Blues are now focused on signing alternatives and have now shortlisted RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, Atlético Madrid’s José María Giménez, Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar and Villarreal’s Pau Torres as targets.

Chelsea will now spend their €55million fee earlier planned for Kounde for one of these players.

The Blues are determined to sign a new defender as a replacement for Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who joined Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, this summer.

There are also indications that Chelsea will now block Barcelona moves for Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, who have been linked to Camp Nou this summer.

The reason for this is because the Catalans stepped in to hijack their transfer for Kounde after Xavi spoke with the defender personally and convinced him to wait.