Jules Kounde nears £55m Chelsea transfer as defender is left out of Sevilla’s pre-season tour of Portugal

CHELSEA have received a major transfer boost as Jules Kounde has been left out of Sevilla's pre-season squad.

Kounde, 23, has been among the Blues' top targets since last year and it looks like he may finally be joining them as he was not included on the Andalusians' list for the upcoming tour of Portugal.

SunSport exclusively revealed the defender is finally on his way from Seville and due to undergo a medical after the West Londoners offered £51million plus £4m in add-ons.

The France international is also set for a mammoth salary of over £10m per year.

The 23-year-old said farewell to Sevilla fans after leaving the club's training ground on Wednesday.

And the Frenchman reportedly hopes a deal with Chelsea is agreed this day with personal terms already sorted.

The centre-half has already spoken to manager Thomas Tuchel and even hopes to join his new club for the last few days of their US tour.

Kounde will join Kalidou Koulibaly (£34m) and Raheem Sterling (£47.5m), who signed from Napoli and Manchester City respectively.

Barcelona have been linked with a last-ditch effort but the ex-Bordeaux ace appears to prefer a move to Stamford Bridge.

Sevilla are also more interested in making a deal with Chelsea as they are offering straight cash compared to Barca who have proposed a player swap.

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Tuchel first swooped for Kounde during the January transfer window but talks broke down due to haggling over the price and Sevilla were demanding the full amount of the release clause.

The player also aggravated an old pelvic injury while playing in the Nations League in June and underwent minor surgery.