The Blues are in advanced talks to sign the 23-year-old France international centre-back, who was the subject of a failed £42.5m bid from Thomas Tuchel last summer. Earlier this week, Chelsea tabled a new offer of £51m before increasing their offer by £4m in a bid to seal the deal. Kunde, who is keen to test himself in the Premier League, could follow Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly out the door as Todd Boely looks set to usher in the new era at Chelsea in style. However, if Chelsea are to get the deal off the ground, they will have to fend off strong interest from Barcelona with the Catalan giants also locked in talks with Sevilla. The Andalusian club are keen to make a bid for Kunte and will give Barcelona the chance to match Chelsea’s highest bid before any deal is sealed. Barca’s financial woes have seemingly been eased by the lucrative £239m Spotify sponsorship deal, which has been the main driver behind their summer spending spree.
