Jules Kounde reportedly has no interest in joining Newcastle United, with Sevilla trying to get the Magpies to join Barcelona in the race to sign the Frenchman.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona might have to fend off competition from Newcastle United in the race to sign Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window. But the Sevilla defender is uninterested in moving to St. James’ Park, giving Barcelona a clear run at the French international.
Jules Kounde has become one of the most highly sought-after players in Europe on the back of a few impressive seasons with Sevilla. The 23-year-old joined the Andalusian club from Bordeaux in July 2019 and has enjoyed three brilliant campaigns at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
At the same time, he has also established a foothold in the French national side and will likely be on the plane to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As for Kounde’s Sevilla stint, he has made 133 appearances while chipping in with nine goals and three assists. The player’s progress has captured the attention of Barcelona, with Sevilla also looking to get Newcastle United into the equation.
Los Nervionenses are aware that Kounde will likely depart from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in the summer transfer window and want to maximise his transfer fee. With Chelsea looking elsewhere, the Blues have received a deadline from Sevilla, considering Barcelona will be the only other suitor pursuing Kounde.
But Newcastle might not need to sign a centre-back, considering Sven Botman is on the verge of arriving at St. James’ Park this summer. Botman’s arrival will leave Eddie Howe with enough centre-backs at his disposal. But Kounde would have rejected Newcastle United even if the Magpies wanted to sign him.
Kounde is reportedly keen on joining Barcelona, even though he has agreed to personal terms with Chelsea. But with Chelsea likely out of the equation anyway amid their pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt, Barcelona could get a clear run at the 23-year-old French international.
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It will be interesting to see how Newcastle United will respond to Sevilla’s intentions to bring them into the race to sign Kounde. As things stand, it looks like Kounde will soon join Barcelona, possibly as a long-term successor to Gerard Pique.
