La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly resumed contacts with 23-year-old French international Jules Kounde and Sevilla over a summer move.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Barcelona and Sevilla are in contact over a possible move for Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants are also in touch with the 23-year-old French international and could offer a player to bring down his €90 million asking price.
Jules Kounde has come leaps and bounds since joining Sevilla from Bordeaux in July 2019. The Frenchman has established himself as one of the best defenders in La Liga in the last three years while carving a place for himself in his national side.
The 23-year-old has turned out 130 times for Sevilla thus far, chipping in with nine goals and three assists. But Kounde’s time at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium could end in the summer transfer window, with some of the most high profile clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, keen on signing him.
The French international has been in talks with Barcelona in the last few months, but contact between the two parties had stopped recently. The Catalan giants are in touch with Kounde again, and they view him as the ideal long-term successor for Gerard Pique.
The veteran defender is in the twilight of his career and has shown signs of age catching up with him this season. With Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet and Oscar Mingueza reportedly surplus to requirements at Camp Nou, Barcelona will need to invest in a top-class centre-back to compete with Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia.
To that end, Alessio Romagnoli and Kalidou Koulibaly have emerged on Barcelona’s radar, with Kounde also a viable target for the Blaugrana. As per AS, Barcelona and Sevilla are also in contact, but the French international’s €90 million price tag poses a problem for the Catalan outfit.
The report states that Barcelona could offer a player to Sevilla to sweeten the deal and bring down the €90 million price tag. But with several Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, ready to pounce, the race to sign Kounde will heat up in the coming days and weeks, especially considering he is ready for a new challenge.
