Sevilla players will support Jules Kounde, who has been denied a football transfer to Chelsea, when he returns from France duty. After Kounde’s move to Chelsea fell through, Ivan Rakitic is set to meet with the Sevilla teammate in an attempt to lift his spirits.
Over the past two seasons Kounde attracted interest from a number of top clubs and has established himself as one of the best defenders in LaLiga. Reports of Chelsea’s interest persisted throughout the recent transfer window. Sevilla sporting director Monchi also confirmed the European champions had made an approach.
Monchi confirmed that the move would have appealed to Kounde, but the two clubs were unable to agree on a fee because Sevilla insisted on the player’s €80 million release clause. However, Rakitic believes the 22-year-old will be able to move on quickly.
“Hopefully, on his return from his national team, we can have a moment to be able to talk, sincerely, so that he knows that he has the confidence of us, that we are his second family,” Rakitic said in a wide-ranging interview with ELDesmarque. “It is very important to us. The first thing we need is for him to feel at ease, to be at his best and to know that everything we do, we do together.”
“He is a boy, 22 years old, very young,” Rakitic added. “He has been here for some spectacular years, that’s why he attracts the interest of big clubs with those amounts. He has earned that with his game. The most important thing is that he understands that this has already happened.”
“Besides being young, he has a lot of experience. He no longer has to teach anything to anyone. He is already a well-rounded player. He still has to improve, of course, but he has to continue to enjoy football. It doesn’t help him now to be down, sad, or angry. He has to lift his spirits.”
