Rafa Marquez has had his say on the ideal defender for Barcelona to sign between Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde, iterating that he would prefer the former.
In an interview on Gerard Romero’s Twitch channel, as quoted by Spanish publication SPORT, Rafa Marquez has opined on the ideal defender for Barcelona to target between Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde.
Matthijs de Ligt has been widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe for over half a decade now. The Dutchman first burst onto the limelight during the 2016/17 season, when he became a key figure for Ajax despite being in his teens. The 22-year-old was even the club captain for the Dutch giants for a couple of years before joining Juventus in July 2019.
The move to Juventus has not worked out as envisioned for de Ligt, but he has been an important player for the Bianconeri this term, featuring 28 times across all competitions. As for Kounde, the Frenchman has been on the radars of high profile clubs across Europe since his maiden campaign with Sevilla.
The 23-year-old played a key role in Los Nervionenses’ UEFA Europa League triumph in the 2019/20 season and has racked up 118 appearances to date for the Andalusian club. And like de Ligt, Kounde is also a highly sought-after player in the transfer market, with Barcelona the common link between the two.
Recent reports have claimed that Xavi Hernandez is pushing the club to sign Kounde, while links with de Ligt also persist. And now, former Barcelona defender Rafa Marquez has had his say on the ideal signing for the Blaugrana between de Ligt and Marquez. The Mexican legend also heaped praise on Ronald Araujo.
“I would prefer a profile like de Ligt’s, perhaps he has more idea, more quality when it comes to playing; although Kounde is stronger and faster,” said Marquez. And on Araujo, the former Barcelona defender said, “He has tremendous capabilities, he’s young and he’s going to pick up a lot of things.”
Araujo’s future is the subject of major concern for Barcelona as the Uruguayan defender recently rejected their contract renewal proposal. With some of the biggest clubs in Europe hot on his trails, Barcelona will need to tie Araujo down to a new contract while targetting a move for either de Ligt or Kounde.