Kounde had doubts about Chelsea and Barcelona submitted better offer, reveals Sevilla chief Monchi

Sevilla sporting director Monchi says Barcelona's offer for defender Jules Kounde was more attractive than Chelsea, which prompted the club to sell the player to their fellow Liga club.

Barcelona beat Chelsea to the signing of Kounde, as the defender is set to seal his move to Camp Nou after completing a medical and officially signing a contract.

Speaking about Sevilla's deal with Barcelona for Kounde, the Sevilla chief suggested that while they were in advanced talks with Chelsea over a possible transfer in the previous week, Kounde himself had reservations about joining the Blues.

What did Monchi say about Kounde's transfer?

He told SFC TV: "Last Thursday we reached a verbal agreement with Chelsea and the player. When everything was closed there were some doubts in Chelsea and the at the weekend everything stopped. We had a very good offer.

"That's where Barcelona appeared and the first time Mateu Alemany contacts us is on Monday. They sent us a lower offer than what we wanted and then they made an effort to put a very good offer and reach an agreement, the most important part of the sale."

FC Barcelona

Monchi added: "We needed to sell to generate capital gains and we had an important sword of Damocles because the player had two years left on his contract. It was a complicated situation."

How have Barcelona performed in the transfer window?

Barcelona have been busy this window, signing Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Andres Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Franck Kessie. They also agreed on a new contract with Ousmane Dembele, who many had expected to depart after his old deal expired at the end of last season.

Xavi may not be done strengthening his squad, as Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are being targeted.