Jules Kounde confident of Chelsea transfer?

Sevilla defender Jules Kounde is confident of joining Chelsea before this month's transfer deadline, ABC reports.

The Blues have identified the Frenchman as their top defensive target, and they recently opened negotiations with Sevilla.

The club proposed to sign him for £35m plus Kurt Zouma, but the La Liga outfit immediately rejected the offer.

Sevilla prefer a straight-cash deal for the centre-back, who has a release clause worth £61m inserted into his contract.

It is reported that the Blues must pay above £50m to sign Kounde. Else, Sevilla are prepared to delay his exit by 12 months.

Kounde has already agreed personal terms with the European champions, and the club are clear favourites to sign him.

They are currently looking to offload fringe players to recoup funds after the huge outlay to re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter.

Lukaku is expected to join the club this week. They recently finalised his transfer from Inter after paying a club-record £98m fee.