Barcelona closing in on Jules Kounde signing | OneFootball

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde, 90min can confirm.

Chelsea thought they had won the race for the Frenchman late last week after agreeing a fee with Sevilla to go alongside a deal over personal terms with the player, only for Barcelona to undergo a late change of heart and pursue an agreement of their own.

The Catalan side agreed a contract with Kounde and then opened talks with Sevilla over a transfer fee, initially falling short before agreeing to meet the asking price of €50m plus €10m in add-ons.

Discussions were held on Wednesday about a payment plan and sources have now confirmed that Sevilla have accepted Barcelona's proposal, finally permitting Kounde to make his long-awaited move to Camp Nou.

Listen now to 90min's Talking Transfers podcast, with Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey, Harry Symeou & Toby Cudworth. On the latest show they discuss Cristiano Ronaldo holding talks with Man Utd over his future, Barcelona attempting to sign Jules Kounde ahead of Chelsea, Man City rewarding Phil Foden with a new contract and more. Available on all audio platforms and the 90min YouTube channel.

If you can't see the podcast embed, click here to download the episode in full!

Kounde was given the chance to choose between Chelsea and Barcelona and he has opted to join up with Xavi's side, becoming the Blaugrana's fifth senior signing of the summer.

With Kounde delaying his final agreement, Chelsea had already started looking at alternatives in anticipation of missing out on his signature, with Leicester's Wesley Fofana thelatest addition to a shortlist which includes Villarreal's Pau Torres, RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, Inter's Milan Skriniar, PSG's Presnel Kimpembe and Bayern Munich duo Dayot Upamecano and Benjamin Pavard.

Barcelona have already beaten Chelsea to the signing of Raphinha this summer, while they took Andreas Christensen on a free transfer and managed to convince Ousmane Dembele to snub a move to Stamford Bridge in favour of signing a new contract. Robert Lewandowski also had his heart set on a move to Barcelona and declined talks with Chelsea as a result.

The two sides aren't done with each other yet, however, as Barcelona remain confident of luring Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso away from Chelsea and talks over a double deal are making progress.

As for Sevilla, they are already looking at replacements for Kounde and have Monaco's Benoit Badiashile in their sights.