Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, linked with Arsenal earlier in the window, has rejected Tottenham Hotspur’s approach for him.

Matteo Moretto reports that Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla reached a total agreement for the signing of Jules Kounde, but the player said no, wanting to wait for other offers.

David Ornstein reported for The Athletic earlier in the summer that Kounde was a signing the Gunners would like to make at centre-back.

The issue was the price tag and Arsenal’s lack of European football, with Sevilla wanting around £50m and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Arsenal scouts have been watching Kounde since early 2019, according to reports at the time. That was when he was still with Bordeaux, before his €25m move to Sevilla.

But the issues holding up a transfer this summer appear to have pushed the Gunners towards other targets like Ben White. As a result, Spurs had a bit of a free run at Kounde, only for him to turn them down.

If the 22-year-old does end up at Arsenal in the future, I doubt the fans will let Spurs live that down.