Chelsea have had a long interest in Sevilla defender, as the Blues even reached personal agreement with the centre-back last summer.
According to Sevilla sporting director Monchi, Chelsea had reached agreement with Sevilla and Kounde over a transfer, but the Blues backed out of the deal, which led to Barcelona hijack.
By the time Chelsea came back to seal a deal, both club and player have turned attention to Barcelona.
“At the beginning of the market there were more suitors than there were at the end, more interested clubs,” Monchi said about Kounde’s situation on Friday.
“In the final stretch, Chelsea stayed above everyone else, we’d been negotiating over the past month until to the point that we reached a verbal agreement last Thursday.
“The player also reached an agreement but at the last moment, Chelsea had doubts. Everything stopped, there was a very good offer but they decided to stop.
“Then Barcelona appeared. The first time that Alemany contacted me was on Monday and Barca conveyed their interest to us.
“We asked them for an offer that, at first, was lower than what we had in mind but it’s true that afterwards comes an important effort from Barcelona and with a significant amount, the largest in Sevilla’s history.
“We had to negotiate with difficult conditions because we needed capital gains. The player had two years left on his contract and, if not, he was coming out this summer, we were dead. It would have been the third time we told him ‘no.’ In addition to being professional, you also have to look at the person.
“The president, the vice president and I have achieved a very important figure without having to pay a commission or an intermediary. Whether we like it or not, the market sets the guidelines and the offers we have had, from City ,Chelsea and Barcelona have always been around a certain amount, we need to sell and we have to say it clearly.
“The player, on Thursday night, was sold to Chelsea. With an agreement between the clubs and with the player, but, even if you have been in this world for a long time, there are situations that still surprise you.
“There were some moves at Chelsea that made them doubt Kounde’s profile. The wait was delayed to the point that Barca appeared.
“Chelsea wanted to come back, but Barca’s offer was better. We decided to sell him to the team that the player was satisfied to go and gave Sevilla better conditions, better conditions. The best offer we have received is from Barcelona, that is how it is.”