Chelsea refuse to pay more than €55m for target – but so do Barcelona

Well, here we are again.

For the second year in a row, with a move seemingly close to happening, Chelsea have found themselves at a standoff with Sevilla over Jules Kounde.

Things all seemed to be going more smoothly this time around, but according to Spanish paper Sport, the Blues are refusing to offer more than the €55m they did last summer.

Sevilla want €65m, and that’s where things stand now. Neither side is buding.

The good news for Chelsea is that Barcelona, their main rival in pursuit of Kounde, also refuse to up their offer. They’re more hard up than we are, and their limits are more financial than just symbolic.

In the end, the player wants to go and has already been kept in Seville for a year longer than he wanted. The odds are, his club will blink first.

Or we could just offer €60m and split the difference…