According to a source, Chelsea and Sevilla have reached an agreement for the 23-year-old defender Jules Kounde to join them in the summer.

Both in the January transfer window and throughout the summer transfer window, the Premier League team was extensively connected with a bid for the Frenchman, but Sevilla stood firm on their €80 million (£67.1 million) asking price.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel is searching for defensive reinforcements as Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are slated to leave Stamford Bridge once their contracts expire in June.

According to a report from Todofichajes.com, Chelsea have a move in place for Kounde ahead of the forthcoming transfer window, despite a deal previously failing to be agreed upon.

The report suggests that an agreement is already in place for Kounde to make the move to England ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, with a transfer of around €60m (£50.3m) plus add-ons being completed.

After seeing a potential move to Chelsea fall through last year, Kounde has gone on to make 39 appearances across all competitions for Sevilla this season, helping his side to second place in La Liga at the time of writing.