La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are hopeful about securing the services of Jules Kounde amid competition from London giants Chelsea.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona will ramp up the efforts to sign Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants are optimistic about securing the services of the Sevilla defender amid intense competition from Chelsea.
Jules Kounde joined Sevilla from Bordeaux three years ago and has come a long way since then. The 23-year-old is now one of the best defenders in La Liga while also establishing a foothold in the French national team, right in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The French centre-back has turned out 133 times for Sevilla thus far, but he might have played his last game for the Andalusian giants amid interest from several European bigwigs. Barcelona and Chelsea are hot on Kounde’s heels this summer as they look to bolster their respective defensive units.
Andreas Christensen was Barcelona’s first defensive signing of the summer transfer window. But the Danish international might not be the only centre-back arriving at Camp Nou this year, as Gerard Pique is in the twilight of his career, while Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza are not in Xavi Hernandez’s plans for the 2021/22 season.
Umtiti and Mingueza have stayed back in Barcelona to sort their futures out, with the Blaugrana in the USA for the pre-season tour. Kounde is thus a viable target for the Catalan giants, who have reportedly offered a part-exchange deal to sign him. But Barcelona will have to fend off stiff competition from Chelsea to land the 23-year-old.
Chelsea had briefly ended the interest in Kounde as they pursued Nathan Ake. But the Dutchman is set to remain at Manchester City beyond the summer transfer window, prompting Chelsea to re-enter the race to sign the Sevilla defender. However, the Blues have now fallen behind Barcelona in the chase for Kounde, with the Blaugrana confident of landing him.
The Catalan giants are ramping up their efforts to secure the services of the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window. But with Chelsea back in the equation, it will be interesting to see if Barcelona can beat the Blues in the race to sign Kounde.
