Chelsea are still competing to secure a place in Europe for the 2024/25 campaign and have three games left to finish as high up in the table as possible.
After Manchester United's 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace earlier this week, the Blues are seventh in the Premier League and only two points adrift of Newcastle United in sixth.
The London-based giants can either land a place in the Europa Conference League or the Europa League for next season, having spent the current campaign without any European football.
This means that there is still plenty to play for over the next three games. However, some attention is still on the upcoming summer transfer window as Chelsea look to improve their playing squad.
Todd Boehly and his team are already reportedly eyeing targets to come in and compete with Mauricio Pochettino's current options, and a defender from LaLiga is supposedly on their list.
Chelsea's interest in Barcelona star
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Blues are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign versatile Barcelona defender Jules Kounde.
The report claims that the Spanish giants have to cash in on one of their current centre-back options, having overloaded in that position, and the France international has attracted interest from a host of clubs.
Chelsea, PSG, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Inter, and AC Milan are all said to be eyeing up the former Seville star ahead of the summer, but the outlet does not name a potential price tag for the ace.
It does, however, reveal that Bayern Munich are keen on Ronald Araujo, and the Uruguay international could, therefore, be the centre-back Barcelona sell, instead of Kounde.
The report adds that the versatile enforcer, who can play at right-back or in the heart of the defence, is willing to remain with the Catalan giants, which does not suggest that he is likely to push for an exit from the Nou Camp this summer.
Chelsea's pursuit of Kounde comes almost two years on from when they failed to sign him on a permanent deal from Seville, in the summer he made the move to Barcelona.
Sky Sports reported that the Blues were confident that they would get a deal over the line to add the French titan to their squad, having agreed a deal with the Spanish side, only for the player to wait for a transfer to Barca.
Boehly and his team could now avenge that one that got away by bringing him to Stamford Bridge this summer, should he become available.
Pochettino could then brutally ditch current first-team centre-back Axel Disasi by bringing Kounde in as an upgrade on his compatriot over the coming months.
Axel Disasi's season in numbers
The 26-year-old battler recently lost his place in the starting XI after Chelsea were hammered 5-0 by rivals Arsenal at The Emirates back in April.
Veteran defender Thiago Silva has replaced him in the lineup over the last three games – a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and a 5-0 win over West Ham United.
Disasi has, however, started 29 of his 31 appearances in the Premier League so far this term, which shows that he has been a regular starter for the majority of the campaign.
The French colossus, who has played eight games at right-back this season, has been solid from a physical perspective in the English top-flight, with a duel success rate of 65%. This shows that opposition forwards rarely get the better of him in one-on-battles on the ground and in the air.
Tackles (1.15)
Bottom 17%
Interceptions (0.63)
Bottom 10%
Blocks (0.91)
Bottom 12%
Clearances (3.56)
Bottom 34%
Aerial duels won (2.51)
Top 28%
As you can see in the table above, Disasi ranks well below average in a number of defensive statistics against his positional peers in the Premier League this term.
However, he does rank above average in key possession-based statistics. The former Monaco star ranks within the top 33% of centre-backs in the division for progressive passes per 90 (3.91), and the top 27% for progressive carries per 90 (1.05).
Why Chelsea could brutally replace Axel Disasi
Pochettino could brutally replace Disasi by securing a deal to sign Kounde this summer, as the French gem has the potential to be a big upgrade at the heart of the Blues defence.
Firstly, the Barcelona star has averaged more tackles (1.21), interceptions (0.85), blocks (1.06), and aerials won (2.38) per 90 in LaLiga than the Chelsea man has in the Premier League.
This suggests that the ex-Seville man could offer more to the team than Disasi from a defensive perspective, as he cuts out opposition attacks more frequently than his compatriot.
The 25-year-old ace, who has won 63% of his aerial battles in the league, was once reportedly told by Xavi that he and Araujo would be among "the best CBs in the world" at Barcelona, and his work in possession suggests that it was a fair claim by the manager.
Pass accuracy
89.9%
90%
Progressive passes
7.69
3.91
Progressive carries
2.16
1.03
Shot-creating actions
1.91
0.45
Successful take-ons
0.46
0.42
As you can see in the table above, Kounde is far more progressive and forward-thinking in his use of the ball than Disasi, with significantly more shot-creating actions, progressive passes, and progressive carries per 90.
In fact, the Barcelona star ranks within the top 1% of centre-backs in LaLiga for progressive passes per 90, the top 3% for progressive carries per 90, and the top 3% for shot-creating actions per 90.
He also ranks within the top 3% of centre-backs in the Men's Big 5 Leagues and European competitions for progressive passes per 90 (7.00), which speaks to how well he has performed across Europe's major leagues.
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Kounde is a strong defender, who can play at right-back or centre-back, and has the quality in and out of possession to be a big upgrade on Disasi, as shown in the aforementioned statistics.
This is why Pochettino could then brutally ditch his own versatile French defender by bringing the Barcelona titan to Stamford Bridge in the summer.