La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have confirmed that they have reached an agreement in principle to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde this summer.
La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have made an official statement to announce that they have reached an agreement in principle with Sevilla over a deal to sign Jules Kounde. The French centre-back has become the fifth summer signing for the Catalan club after Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski.
The 2023 summer transfer window has been all about Barcelona. The Catalan giants have stolen the show in some fashion thanks to the power of their economic levers, which have given them the financial muscle to pursue all their priority targets while blowing away the competition at the same time.
Barcelona began the summer by securing the services of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers. But once they activated their two economic levers thus far, the Blaugrana went from strength to strength. Barcelona first beat Chelsea to Raphinha’s signature before prising Robert Lewandowski away from Bayern Munich.
Barcelona clashed with Chelsea again for their fifth summer signing, with the two European bigwigs trading blows in the race to sign Jules Kounde. Chelsea once seemed to have clinched the Frenchman’s signature, only for Barcelona to hijack the move at the eleventh hour.
Jules Kounde has officially joined Barcelona.
What transfer window they've had ✍️ pic.twitter.com/SEoXkr1FVQ
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 28, 2022
Widespread reports had already suggested that Kounde preferred to join Barcelona instead of Chelsea despite agreeing to personal terms with both clubs. But once the Blaugrana swooped in thanks to the effects of the economic lever, there was no turning back for the 23-year-old, who has reportedly accepted a four-year contract from Barcelona.
Chelsea soon ended interest in Kounde for good, and the only stumbling block in front of Barcelona was the agreement with Sevilla over the transfer fee. And according to their official statement, the Catalan giants are on the verge of officially completing Kounde’s capture once he completes his medical.
The official figures are not in the public domain yet, and it is unclear whether Kounde will join the pre-season camp in the USA anytime soon. For now, the 23-year-old French international has become the fifth summer signing for Barcelona, leaving Chelsea to scour the market for an alternative.
