Report: Chelsea won't sign Sevilla's Kounde

Chelsea abandoned their pursuit of Sevilla center-back Jules Kounde, reports The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

Sevilla had no intention of negotiating a fee below the defender's €80-million release, according to Romano.

Sporting director Monchi confirmed Sevilla rejected a "decent" offer from Chelsea last week.

"The only written formal offer from Chelsea came last Wednesday," Monchi said. "We weren't satisfied with the offer, and it was linked to Chelsea selling a player. It was a decent fee, but it didn't meet our criteria."

Chelsea reportedly opened negotiations with Sevilla at the end of July, but talks stalled, with the Spanish side insisting on receiving the €80 million. Though Chelsea moved to offload a number of players - including defenders Emerson Palmieri and Kurt Zouma - they were unwilling to meet Kounde's release clause.

It's unclear if Chelsea will revive discussions with Sevilla in January. Kounde still has three years remaining on his contract.

Even without the 22-year-old, Blues manager Thomas Tuchel has five senior center-backs at his disposal, including academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah, who "forced his way" into the German's first-team plans after impressing in training.