Chelsea have taken lead to sign La Liga defender

Chelsea are reportedly in pole position to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde this summer.

The west London giants are expected to bolster their central defensive department with the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Kounde has been a top target for the Blues since last summer, and Sport claims that the club have now revived their pursuit of the former Bordeaux man.

His agent has already communicated to Sevilla over a transfer, and it is claimed that a fee between €50-60m could be sufficient to do business.

Barcelona have also held a long-term interest in his services, but they are currently not in a position to afford his transfer fee and wages.

The Catalan giants need to lower their wage bill once again this summer and until then, they won't be permitted to register any new signings.

They have already agreed pre-contract deals with Franck Kessie and Christensen, but are not permitted to register them for the moment.