Steve McManaman has claimed that “there’s a reason” why Sevilla defender Jules Kounde has not yet been sold amid interest from Chelsea and Man Utd.
Chelsea and Man Utd are two of the teams who have been linked with Kounde in recent months.
Sevilla splashed out around £21m to sign the defender from Bordeaux in 2019. He is now valued at around £50m.
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The France international has already played 128 times for the Spanish outfit across all competitions. He helped them win the Europa League in 2019/20.
McManaman has claimed that Kounde “has to improve” if he wants to cut it at the likes of Chelsea or Man Utd:
“I’ve seen him a lot. He and [fellow Sevilla defender] Diego Carlos are linked with a lot of clubs every single year,” McManaman told HorseRacing.Net (via Football London).
“I think the pair of them could easily go in the end. A couple of years ago they were worth £40m, £50m, £60m and then they struggled to a certain extent.
“Sevilla are doing okay at the moment. They’re playing well at the minute, but like every single year, they just flatter to deceive a little bit.
“Kounde is a French international and he’s young. He will attract attention. The way defenders in Spain play always means they do.
“But even though he’s only 23 years old, he has been around and has been highly thought of for the past couple of years. However, nobody’s plumped for him yet, and there’s a reason.
“It’s either because he’s too expensive or he’s just not top level yet. I still think he has to improve if he’s going to be in the top echelons of the Premier League, where you will find the very best teams.”
Meanwhile, Jorginho has admitted that Chelsea will miss Real Madrid-bound Antonio Rudiger:
“He’s been here a long time so if he leaves we are going to miss him. He’s a big personality and he’s helped us a lot,” Jorginho told Sky Sports.
“We’ve had amazing times here, he’s a good friend of mine so if he leaves, not just me but everyone at the club will miss him.”