Jules Kounde is reportedly open to discussing a move to Barcelona amid interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Barcelona have been handed a major boost in pursuit of Jules Kounde. The 22-year-old is open to the prospect of discussing a move to Camp Nou, which comes as a blow to Real Madrid, Manchester United and the rest of his suitors.
Kounde has come leaps and bounds since joining Sevilla from Bordeaux in the summer of 2019. Now widely regarded as one of the best defenders in La Liga, the French international has become a key figure for the Andalusian club while also becoming a regular feature for his country.
To date, the 22-year-old has made 101 appearances for Sevilla, chipping in with six goals and two assists along the way. His progress has helped Kounde pop up on the radars of the who’s who of European football, with Chelsea coming close to securing his services in the summer transfer window. As things stand, his prospective suitors are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Barcelona are the latest club to join the race to sign Kounde, although they hold a long-standing interest. The eagerness to sign the player makes sense, considering Gerard Pique is in the final phase of his career while Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti are bit-part players.
With Eric Garcia struggling to perform consistently, signing a reliable defender is the need of the hour for Barcelona, with Kounde emerging as an option. On the other hand, Real Madrid have the urgency of signing a centre-back because they failed to sign as many replacements for Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in the summer, which is why Kounde is of interest.
The Merengues are also hot on the trail of Antonio Rudiger, but Kounde is also among their key targets. Meanwhile, the interest from Manchester United comes as a surprise, especially seeing as they signed Varane from Real Madrid in the summer. Nevertheless, the Red Devils also appear to be keen on signing the 22-year-old.
However, it looks like Barcelona hold the slightest of edges over Real Madrid and Manchester United as Kounde is now willing to hear their proposal following Xavi’s appointment as the new manager. The development does not rule Real Madrid and Manchester United out of the running in Koude’s pursuit, but they will need to pull their socks to get back on top. So, it remains to be seen where he ends up.
