Chelsea’s move for Jules Koundé is in danger of collapsing, with Barcelona refusing to end their pursuit of the Sevilla defender. It had appeared that Chelsea were set to make Koundé their third summer signing. They were in advanced talks with Sevilla, who have been holding out for £55m, and financial restrictions had left Barcelona on the verge of pulling out of the race for the 23-year-old last Friday. However Barça revived their interest in Koundé over the weekend and are increasingly optimistic they will win the race to sign the France international. The Catalan club, who have already beaten Chelsea to the signing of the Brazil winger Raphinha, have continued to tell Koundé to wait for them to submit their opening offer. It is believed they could end up paying a lower fee than Chelsea.