According to Sport, the Blues have rekindled their interest in Kounde after failing to land him last summer at Stamford Bridge which saw the defender join Barcelona for an initial fee of €50 million (£42m/$50m), plus up to €10m (£8.3m/$10.2m) in add-ons in a four-year contract. However, the London outfit are not only the Premier League side who are interested, as Manchester United have also reportedly set their sights on the French international.

The report further mentions that the defender is willing to take up a fresh challenge and remains open for a move if there is an agreement among all parties. Kounde is believed to be unhappy with his role at Barcelona as Xavi Hernandez has used him primarily as a right-back instead of his natural position as centre-back. Moreover, he is aware that the club have signed Atheltic central defender Inigo Martinez, which would further consign his pace to the right-back position.

Barcelona are aware of the interest of the Premier League clubs and have already made it clear to Kounde's camp that they will not settle for less than €75m if he is looking for a transfer to the Premier League. The Blaugrana are looking to balance their books to comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations (FFP) of La Liga and are open to selling several players including Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Frank Kessie and Raphinha.