Chelsea's talks with Sevilla over a potential player-plus-cash swoop for defender Jules Koundé are moving in the right direction, according to reports.
The west London side are nearing an agreement with the La Liga outfit that will see them pay around €30-35 million alongside Kurt Zouma to sign the 22-year-old centre-half.
It is worth noting however, that Zouma is yet to hold talks with either side over being included as makeweight in the Champions League winners' pursuit of the France international, who emerged through the academy ranks at Bordeaux in his home country.
As reported by Nizaar Kinsella of Goal, talks between the clubs over a move are 'progressing well', and Zouma is open to sealing a switch to Sevilla despite the attempts of a few Premier League sides to hijack the deal.
Furthermore, Zouma is 'appreciated' by the Sevilla, who refused to include left-back Emerson Palmieri as part of an exchange deal, with reports suggesting the the deal could be made official in the coming days.
Additionally, Zouma's wage expectations could prove to be an issue for the Spanish side, who are struggling due to the financial restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, but need to offload a few key names as they prepare to freshen up their squad ahead of the new season.
It has emerged that Koundé, who is keen to join Thomas Tuchel's side ahead of the new season has agreed to move to Chelsea, and is happy with the financial package offered by the five-time Premier League champions.
Sevilla were only considering 'big offers' for Koundé following Tottenham's capture of defender Bryan Gil, which provided an alternative source of revenue for the La Liga side.
The Blues were said to be ready to fight Tottenham in the chase for Koundé, with manager Thomas Tuchel looking to bolster his backline ahead of what could be a title-challenging campaign.
It was reported previously that Chelsea had made an 'important approach' in their bid to sign the France international, and the Blues are thought to hold an upper hand in the race to secure the defender's services.
The 22-year-old has a release clause worth €80 million in his contract, and was on the radar of some of Europe's top clubs after a stellar 2020/21 campaign for Julen Lopetegui's side, but it seems like Chelsea have won the race to land the Paris-born defender.
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