Barça pull off an ace in their ongoing negotiations for Koundé

FC Barcelona have pulled an ace out of their sleeve in Las Vegas to get ahead of Chelsea in the battle for Jules Koundé, even as the agreement between Sevilla and the English club seemed all but closed. Barça have now burst into the scene, with Mateu Alemany coming up with a solution that the Sanchez Pizjuan like very much.

Chelsea are willing to pay 65 million euros, with a payment in instalments and with add-ons, while Barça, which have had cash injection from economic levers, could directly pay a lumpsum amount to sign the player. It would not be the 65 million of Chelsea, but Sevilla would definitely enjoy being immediately paid in full for the player.

This proposal was forged late at night in Las Vegas( early morning in Spain), and Sevilla are still assessing it. On the player's part, there will be no problem as he has always prioritised Barça, although he did suggest before that his destination would probably be at Stamford Bridge.

The time difference of nine hours from Las Vegas prevents communication from being more fluid, so more news is expected in the early afternoon, Spanish time. Barça and its fans will hope Sevilla responds with the green light, on the signing that had until now seemed a lost cause.