Barcelona submit €65 million bid to sign Jules Kounde

La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly tabled a bid worth €65 million, including add-ons, to sign Jules Kounde, a target for Chelsea.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Catalan giants Barcelona have made their offer to sign Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window, proposing a package worth €65 million, including add-ons. The Sevilla centre-back is also a target for Premier League heavyweights Chelsea.

Jules Kounde has become a hot property on the back of three brilliant campaigns with Sevilla. The 23-year-old is now one of the best defenders in La Liga. At the same time, he has established a foothold in the French national team and should be on the plane to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Kounde has turned out 133 times for Sevilla thus far, chipping in with nine goals and three assists. But the French centre-back might have played his final game at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, even though he has finally joined the pre-season training camp. Barcelona and Chelsea are trying to prise him away from the Andalusian club.

The interest from Barcelona stems from the advancing years of Gerard Pique, with the veteran defender starting to signs of age catching up with him. In addition, Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza seem to have non-existent futures at Camp Nou, with Barcelona deeming the duo surplus to requirements.

❗️Barcelona are offering 100% of Jules Koundé's image rights to the player, something Chelsea did not do. This could give Koundé more income.

— @gerardromero pic.twitter.com/FViGWwU2Ma

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 21, 2022

Kounde is thus a viable target for Barcelona, with the Blaugrana trying different ways to get their hands on their priority defensive target. And the Catalan giants have offered a package worth €65 million to sign Kounde, although they face stiff competition from Chelsea in the race to sign the 23-year-old defender from Sevilla.

Recent reports have claimed that the Blues have agreed to a deal with Sevilla to sign Kounde, with personal terms unlikely to be a problem. But despite all that, Chelsea might not be able to secure the services of the French international, as he is keen on joining Barcelona.

Kounde is yet to take a final decision on his future, and even though the Catalan giants have offered lower wages (€7 million) than Chelsea (€12 million), they might have a chance of signing him. For now, Barcelona’s €65 million offer has arrived on Sevilla’s table, and it will be interesting to see if a base fee worth €55 million does the trick.