Tuchel's side have been pursuing the French center-back for sometime, but things have gone quiet as of late.

Chelsea are on the market for two center-backs after watching Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leave Stamford Bridge for free this summer. The German star joined Real Madrid after running down his contract while the Danish international joined Spain's other powerhouse, Barcelona.

As a result, a number of names have been linked with Thomas Tuchel's side, ranging from the Premier League-proven but young Nathan Ake of Manchester City to the world-class and experienced Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli. However, one name has long been on the Blues' radar.

That player is none other than Jules Kounde, the highly-rated Sevilla center-back who the London giants were keen on signing last summer. After Rudiger and Christensen left the club, many expected Chelsea to go all out for the Frenchman in order to bring him to the English capital amid interest from Barcelona.

Initially, there were claims the club agreed a deal for the 23-year-old. However, things have gone quiet recently, with Tuchel's side now being linked with the likes of De Ligt at Juventus and Manchester City's Ake.

But what happened to the Kounde pursuit? Have the FIFA Club World Cup holders lost the race to the Blaugrana, who are also keen on defensive reinforcements? Sevilla's sporting director Monchi offered an update on this situation, revealing that while there is interest from other clubs, no one has yet won the battle for Jules' signature.

"Jules Koundé has chances to leave the club if some club will pay the release clause. Chelsea made a bid last week but we didn't like it."

Kounde's release clause is believed to be somewhere around €75/80M, which translates to $77M/82M. It remains uncertain whether Chelsea will return with a second bid or whether Sevilla will opt to negotiate once transfer deadline day grows closer, but Monchi added in a separate interview that clubs from other countries are also interested in the player.