Chelsea close to sealing deal for versatile international

Arsenal defender Pablo Mari probably sees Romelu Lukaku in his nightmares, after facing the £98m man. 

Lukaku opened his goalscoring account against a terrified Gunners side in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium last week.

The former Inter Milan star tormented the North Londoners’ defence, holding them off, spinning of them and powering past the rattled back four at will.

A better final ball from The Blues, and Lukaku really could have scored a lot more.

Thomas Tuchel’s side look like the real deal, and the 28-year-old looks to be the perfect, final piece of the puzzle.

However, they are looking to strengthen once more and, according to the Daily Star, they are very close to signing Jules Kounde.

Kounde has represented France on two occasions so far.

The Sevilla and France defender, who can play as a centre-back or a right-back, is one of the hottest young defenders in the world, and reports are suggesting a £42m is very close to being signed.

It was also suggested any transfer is dependant on Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma moving to West Ham, however, it is believed the future of the defender is no longer a factor in Kounde’s arrival.

Nevertheless, Zouma’s looks like he is heading to West Ham United, with a £25m move looking soon to be wrapped up by the Hammers.

It would also mean Chelsea have managed to raise over £100m in sales having sold Fikayo Tomoro, Marc Guehi, Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud, and others this summer.

Kounde’s signature would take the Blues’ total spending to around £140m, with a net spend of around £40m.