Manchester City are set to enter the race for highly-rated Sevilla defender Jules Kounde but any deal for the France international could be dependent on Chelsea landing their other transfer targets this summer.
City boss Pep Guardiola is an admirer of Kounde and would be tempted to move for the 23-year-old according to Mundo Deportivo.
Chelsea and Barcelona have also been long-term suitors of the Frenchman with the west London side coming close to acquiring Kounde last summer before the deal collapsed shortly before the deadline.
Despite continuing to keep tabs on the Sevilla ace, Chelsea have appeared to turn their attentions elsewhere with Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt on the club's radar but it is Chelsea's pursuit of Nathan Ake that could pave the way for City to enter the race for Kounde.
Should Chelsea be successful in their pursuit of Ake, City boss Pep Guardiola will have a hole to fill in his defence and has pinpointed Kounde as Ake's successor.
But City may not have a clear run at Kounde as Chelsea could still look to swoop for the defender, should their efforts to lure De Ligt to Stamford Bridge prove unsuccessful.
With German champions Bayern Munich also in the running for De Ligt, it appears that whichever team misses out on the Dutchman view Kounde as an ideal back-up option.
Barcelona are also in the running for Kounde with the future of Gerard Pique far from certain but would find it difficult going head to head against the financial muscle of City and Chelsea.
An impending bidding war is good news for Sevilla who will look to sell their prized asset to the highest bidder.
The La Liga side will hope to claim a monstrous fee for the 23-year-old to reinvest back into the squad after selling defender Diego Carlos to Aston Villa for £26 million earlier in the transfer window.
Kounde joined Sevilla from French club Bordeaux in 2019 and has made 95 appearances for the Andalusian outfit, scoring five times.