Barcelona have admitted Jules Kounde was practically a Chelsea player last week before they stepped in to take him to the Camp Nou.
The club's director of football Mateu Alemany said the player's own preference for playing for Barcelona, and Barça releasing more funds by selling off a greater chunk of its future TV rights was the key to snatching him from Chelsea's grasp.
Alemany said: 'Almost every day they (Kounde's team) called me for an update because Kounde wanted to join Barça and he was waiting for us.
Jules Kounde poses in his new Barcelona shirt but was on the brink of joining Chelsea
The defender moved to the Nou Camp after turning down Stamford Bridge in favour of Spain
'In the end I had to tell Jonathan (Kebe, the player's agent) not to call anymore because I didn't know what to tell him.