Reports have claimed that Chelsea sent scouts to one of last night’s Champions League games to watch one defender in particular.
According to HITC and Graeme Bailey, the Blues were keen to monitor the performance of Barcelona defender Jules Kounde in their Round of 16 tie against Napoli.
Many will believe any Chelsea interest in this particular fixture would have revolved around one of the players actually up against Kounde last night.
Victor Osimhen found the net on his return from a poor tournament representing his country at the African Cup of Nations.
While he found himself having little service, the power he showed to shake off a tackle and bring his side back into the tie will have been noticed for sure.
However, it seems some representitives of the club were actually in attendance in order to watch a player on the otherside who they have held plenty of interest in the past in signing.
Kounde was reportedly the number one defensive target when Thomas Tuchel was in charge of the club during the first window where Todd Boehly was at the club.
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While they brought in a plethora of defenders including Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, the France international instead stayed in Spain and completed a move to Barcelona.
It is fair to say that this season in particular the fortunes of Xavi’s side have been a bit underwhelming, with them seemingly completely out of the title race for La Liga.
It doesn’t seem to have really put Chelsea off a move for the defender though, with it now being claimed they are keeping a close eye on his performances.
There will likely be great change at the back this summer, with Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah surely set to be on the move based on recent reports.
It remains to be seen if the Blues revisit the opportunity to sign Kounde as a replacement.
