London giants Chelsea are reportedly ready to fork out €150 million to sign versatile Barcelona defenders Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo are the subjects of interest from Chelsea. The Blues are keen on reinforcing their backline next year and have set their sights on the versatile Barcelona defenders. The Premier League heavyweights are ready to cough up €150 million to sign the duo in 2025.

Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo have been top-class performers for Barcelona during their spells with the Blaugrana. The latter has been with the Catalan outfit for half a dozen years and has been a mainstay at the back for them in the last few seasons.

The 25-year-old has turned out 150 times thus far for Barcelona while chipping in with eight goals and five assists. As for Kounde, the Frenchman has been with the Catalan outfit since arriving from Sevilla in July 2022. He has gone from strength to strength in the last two years, excelling as a right-back and a centre-back.

The French international has turned out over 100 times thus far for Barcelona while chipping in with four goals and 14 assists. Kounde’s progress in the last two years has not gone unnoticed, while his Barcelona teammate is also a hot property in the market. Chelsea will be one of his prospective suitors for the two versatile defenders.

London calling?
Chelsea’s interest in Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo is understandable. The Blues are scouring the market for a centre-back and a right-back ahead of the two transfer windows next year. With Reece James struggling with persistent fitness issues, Kounde can be a long-term right-back solution for Chelsea.

As for Araujo, with Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, the Uruguayan international can be the long-term central defensive partner for Levi Colwill. The latest report has revealed that the Blues are ready to cough up €150 million to sign the Barcelona duo next year.

With Barcelona struggling with financial issues, recouping €150 million from Araujo and Kounde’s sale to Chelsea might be appealing. However, the two defenders have the level and ceiling to command a higher combined fee.

Hard Tackle

Chelsea captain Reece James has suffered another setback after injuring a hamstring in training, Blues manager Enzo Maresca has revealed.

The 24-year-old missed much of last season after undergoing hamstring surgery, which was designed to help him overcome a series of injuries, but returned to action last month.

Maresca played down concerns about a long-term lay-off but confirmed James will miss Saturday’s match at Leicester.

He said: “We have just one injured player and that’s Reece [James] who unfortunately felt something small in training two days ago and we don’t want to take a risk for the weekend.

“It’s a hamstring, muscular problem. We will see, we don’t know for how long, for sure [we want him fit for longer]. At the moment it is not happening but we hope it will happen soon.

“He is out this weekend but hopefully he can be back soon. It’s probably difficult that he can be available for the Conference League [next Thursday], but hopefully soon.”

The likes of Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia are all available despite pulling out of international duty last week.

But there is caution around Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez with Maresca saying his starting team will “not be at 100%”, with those travelling from international duty in South America completing just one training session on Friday before the match.

James’ injury woes continue
James has suffered his eighth hamstring injury in four years, according to Transfermarkt data.

He has suffered a further half dozen injuries to his knee, thigh and ankle – as well as an absence with illness.

Upon his return against Liverpool in October, it had been 562 days since James last managed to play a full 90 minutes in the Premier League, with the subsequent match a week later at home to Newcastle his first full match completed in well over a year.

Since breaking into Chelsea’s senior squad in the 2019-20 season, James’s best run of matches is six achieved in May 2021.

His most league starts in a single season is 25 matches while last season he played just 482 minutes in total because of injury and two red cards.

Last December he underwent surgery in Finland, which had been designed to help him overcome the issues permanently. But he has suffered his second setback since the season started, after initially injuring himself in Chelsea’s penultimate pre-season match against Real Madrid in the United States.

James has also not been involved with England since March 2023.

While in the US he was asked about his goals for the coming season. He replied: “I have one goal. My goal is to stay on the pitch.”

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan are keen on acquiring the services of Arsenal utility man Oleksandr Zinchenko.

According to a report from Fichajes, Oleksandr Zinchenko could part ways with Arsenal next summer after going down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta. The lack of minutes along with his contract situation has resulted in a significant amount of interest from Inter Milan.

After making a name for himself while playing for Manchester City, Zinchenko made the move to Arsenal in the summer of 2022. Arteta played a massive role in his move to the North London club and he was one of the first names on their first team in the initial years.

But, a lot has changed of late. While the Ukrainian international can feature in the centre of the park as well as the midfield, he no longer seems to be an important part of the Spanish manager’s plans. The Gunners were reportedly ready to sell him during the summer.

While he is still a part of their setup, his game time has taken a significant hit. In the ongoing campaign, he has been involved in just five matches and has racked up less than 200 minutes of first-team action.

The 27-year-old full-back is frustrated by the lack of minutes and he is considering his future at the club. With his contract running out in the summer of 2026, Inter Milan are looking to make the most out of the situation and strike a deal for a cut-price fee.

Inter could raid Arsenal for Zinchenko
The Italian giants want to add more quality to their squad. They want to bring in an experienced campaigner who can contribute in multiple positions and Zinchenko seems to be an ideal fit for their project.

He will only have a year left on his deal next summer and since he has gone down the pecking order under Arteta, Inter have a realistic chance of signing him.

While the Ukrainian international would love to continue in the Premier League, he could consider being an important part of an exciting project at Inter. A move away will give him an opportunity to get things back on track in his career.

Inter are plotting to make a move next summer and it will be interesting to see whether the negotiations move forward over the next months.

Hard Tackle