Kounde has been on Chelsea’s radar all summer, but the negotiations cooled earlier in the month after the club focused their efforts on bringing in Romelu Lukaku from Inter.
It was expected that Chelsea would need to sell a defender before making an attempt to snare Kounde out of Sevilla this summer.
And with Kurt Zouma on his way to West Ham, the European champions are now preparing to make a fresh assault for the Sevilla centre-back.
According to French sports daily L’Equipe, Chelsea already have an agreement in place with Kounde over a contract as part of their process.
The Frenchman is keen on the move and has been patiently waiting for Chelsea to make a concrete move to land him.
Kounde has an €80m release clause in his Sevilla contract and the Spanish club want the full figure.
It is unclear whether Chelsea want to pay that fee, but they are ready to test Sevilla’s resolve.
The Spanish giants have identified potential replacements if they are forced to sell Kounde late in the transfer window.
