Soccer transfer news, rumors: Barcelona make late bid to hijack Chelsea Jules Kounde deal, and more

What’s better than a cup of coffee and the latest transfer news? Join in as CBS Sports provides the latest updates from around the world and what they mean to your favorite teams. Chelsea closes in on Jules Kounde but it doesn’t look like Barcelona will give up too easily. West Ham could finally have a new striker in Gianluca Scamacca, Brighton get Neal Maupay bid, Nuno Tavares could finally have a loan destination out of Arsenal and more.

Let’s get to the transfer moves:

In the six-yard box

The biggest transfer stories of the day. These are the deals that are happening, or at least on the verge of getting done.

Barcelona try to hijack Chelsea Jules Kounde deal

The Jukes Kounde saga is yet another transfer coming down to Barcelona and Chelsea this summer as the Spanish side continue to raise their spending power via a mixture of TV rights and sponsorship deals. Chelsea’s bid of £55 million for Kounde has been submitted but Barcelona are preparing an official bid to make things tougher. The Sevilla defender has wanted to wait and see if Barcelona could make an offer, a dynamic which mirrors the Raphinha deal earlier this summer when Chelsea had terms agreed with their targets team but the player chose to wait for Barcelona to figure out a way to come get them, though this transfer is expected to be wrapped up sooner than later. Kounde has been in contact with both clubs, but it will be interesting to see how things play out as Barcelona’s bid will likely be lower than Chelsea’s.

Barcelona would also like Cesar Azpilicueta (though perhaps only if they don’t get Kounde0 but Tuchel is not sure he’ll let Azpilicueta move unless Barcelona offers what Chelsea is demanding. “We have a Spanish international player, captain but Barcelona does not see it on that level – so I’m not sure if I want to give Azpi what he wants,” Tuchel said during Chelsea’s preseason tour.  Tuchel continued to express his annoyance with Barcelona but also made clear that he has discussed the interest with Azpilicueta and he understands.

Entering the penalty area

These moves may not be imminent, but there’s a lot of transfer fire in all the smoke these players and teams might be blowing.

Atalanta close in on Nuno Tavares loan

After a move to Marseille broke down due to the French club wanting a buy option in the deal, Atalanta seem close to securing Nuno Tavares for the year, Gianluca DiMarzio reports. After a rough first season with Arsenal, Tavares needs more polish than he would get playing behind Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney making this a solid move to get game time.

Build-up play

These moves might be speculative but they’re ones to keep an eye on.

Salernitana wait for a response from Brighton on Neal Maupay offer

After narrowly avoiding relegation from Serie A, Salernitana look to improve their attack heading into the new season, and according to Gianluca DiMarzio, they have submitted a deal around €8 million to Brighton for Neal Maupay. Maupay has underperformed since moving from Brentford to Brighton scoring only 26 goals in 102 starts, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Brighton are ready to move on from him, but this close to the season it may be tough to pull off. Danny Welbeck and Deniz Undav — who is coming off a season scoring 26 goals in Belgium — are the other forward options which could leave Graham Potter a little light up top if Maupay moves.

Keeper punts

Your daily quick hitters.

• Southampton have a bid of around £16 million turned down for Man City’s Liam Delap.
• Rennes are set to accept Bayern Munich’s €30 million offer for Mathys Tel, Foot Mercado reports.
• Ozan Kabak joins Hoffenheim on a contract until 2026 from Schalke.
• Luis Suarez has yet to respond to National interest but the club is optimistic, Cesar Luis Merlo reports.
• Chris Richards’ Crystal Palace move is done including medical tests, club announcement is all that’s left.
• West Ham close in on a €36 million deal for Gianluca Scamacca and are also closer to adding Filip Kostic too.
• Lyon sign Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax for €4 million and he’ll be under contract through 2025.