After much speculation, it has been confirmed that Jules Kounde wishes to depart Sevilla this summer. 

The club's chief, Jose Maria Cruz, confirmed that the player wishes to play his football elsewhere next season owing to his 'ambition'.

Speaking to Sporting Witness, Cruz explained that it was not a case of 'money' but that he wishes to play in a more competitive side than Sevilla. 

Jules Kounde will look to depart Sevilla this summer, with Chelsea said to be interested in him 

He said: 'Again, the player, I am sure, respects Sevilla FC. He is happy with us. In the case of Kounde, it is not a matter of money. It's a matter of him wanting to play in a more competitive team than Sevilla. 

'I am sure he is a player that is attractive for teams like Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and these types of teams. He wants to play in a more competitive team.'

He added: 'It's the same case we had some years ago with [Clement] Lenglet. He was very happy, but he thought after playing some years at Sevilla FC, he was prepared to go to FC Barcelona.

'The first time we received an offer for him was a season before he was transferred. He [Lenglet] and his father told us they didn't to leave Sevilla then because they preferred to stay here and play a lot of matches.'

Kounde's future has been the subject of speculation for a long while, with Chelsea believed to have been chasing the player last summer.

Thomas Tuchel is said to have been granted a £200m war chest by the new owners, led by Todd Boehly, this summer as he looks to rebuild Chelsea's squad ahead of next season. 

Cruz appeared to also confirm that Kounde had been the subject of much interest over previous summers, but that the club sought to bat away those parties in pursuit of a higher fee further down the line. 

'We have rejected [previous offers for Kounde] because we thought that this player can improve his performances,' he said.

'It was better to wait because the market at the time was depressing. We thought that waiting a while would [help us] obtain more money.

It has been reported this month in Spain that Chelsea lead the race for Kounde.   

The reports in Spain claim that the £42m-£52m Chelsea will likely have to fork out should they want the centre back to come on board will not prove a stumbling block.

The price is thought to be quite significantly lower than previously thought owing to financial difficulties at Sevilla.

Chelsea have experienced something of a defensive exodus so far this summer, with both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger departing the club on free transfers. 

Christensen has joined Barcelona while Rudiger has gone to the European champions Real Madrid.