Chelsea remain interested in signing Jules Kounde just a year after losing out to Barcelona for the defender, according to Sport.

The Catalan publication claims the Blues are “willing to pay a higher price” than the €55m (£48m) that Barca paid Sevilla last summer, with the player currently unsettled at the Camp Nou.

Kounde has been a regular starter for the newly crowned La Liga champions but he has often been played out of position by manager Xavi.

The 24-year-old is ostensibly a centre-half but the majority of his game time this season has been as a fullback and he is not happy about the situation.

Do Chelsea still need a player like Kounde?

If the France international is insistent that he wants to play at centre-back, it’s hard to see where he would fit into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans.

After losing out on Kounde last year, the Blues went out and bought both Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly, while Benoit Badiashile was recruited during the January transfer window.

With Levi Colwill returning from his loan spell at Brighton next month, and Thiago Silva likely to be staying for another year, there isn’t really any room in the squad for Kounde.