Manchester United are reportedly being rivaled by Arsenal in the race to sign Jules Kounde, valued at €60 million by Sevilla, this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet El Gol Digital, Manchester United face tough competition from Arsenal in pursuit of Jules Kounde. The two Premier League heavyweights have also received a boost in the race to sign the Frenchman, with Sevilla slashing their asking price to €60 million.
Kounde has set the stage alight since arriving at Sevilla from Bordeaux in the summer of 2019. Now one of the best defenders in La Liga, the 22-year-old has become an ever-present at the back for Los Nervionenses, raking in 38 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
His incredible progress at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium was bound to get noticed sooner or later and sure enough, a number of top clubs across Europe have been closely monitoring him over the course of the season. As things stand, Arsenal and Manchester United are hot on Kounde’s trails.
Manchester United have been linked with Kounde for quite some time now and despite the fact that he is still in the relatively early stage of his career, he is a viable target for them. Harry Maguire has practically played every game for the Red Devils and although he has been a tad bit inconsistent, he will remain a mainstay at the back.
However, the Manchester United captain has not had a regular central defensive partner due to the fitness issues plaguing Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly. As a result, it has been suggested that United will go hard in the market for a centre-back this summer. Arsenal, on the other hand, have a number of central defenders.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta has the likes of David Luiz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers in his squad currently, while William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos are out on loan. Having said that, it has been claimed that Chambers could be offloaded this summer, while Mavropanos has no future at Arsenal.
Add to it the blow-hot-blow-cold nature of David Luiz, who is also on the wrong side of 30, and it is not hard to see why Arteta would want another centre-back, which is why they have been linked with Evan N’Dicka and others. Kounde is also an option worth considering for Arsenal, who, along with Manchester United have been handed a boost in his pursuit.
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The report claims that Sevilla have slashed their asking price for the 22-year-old Frenchman from €90 million to €60 million to ensure they are able to reach an agreement over a transfer. Meanwhile, apart from Arsenal and Manchester United, Real Madrid are also tailing Kounde, but could be facing a losing battle as the Premier League is touted to be his likelier destination.
What now remains to be seen is if Arsenal are able to afford his new €60 million, or if the more financially stable Manchester United are able to swoop him away instead. For now, what is certain is that the interested parties will have to pay a discounted rate to snap up Kounde this summer.
