It was only a few weeks back that Barcelona defender Jules Kounde was deemed untouchable.
Over the course of the past couple of days, however, reports regarding his potential exit have emerged and if journalist Alfredo Martinez on SPORT is to be believed, Barcelona would be open to sacrificing their defender in the summer if a good offer comes along the way.
The journalist adds that if Kounde ends up leaving, the Blaugrana will sign a right-back to replace him.
The 24-year-old was signed from Sevilla in a deal worth €50 million plus add-ons in the previous summer. However, with Hector Bellerin failing to do justice to the right-back spot, Kounde was forced to play on the right for the majority of the season.
Now, it is evident that the player does not wish to play out wide as he prefers to play at his natural centre-back position.
But, owing to the success of Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo coupled with Barça’s inability to sign a reliable right-back, the Frenchman might as well be forced to play out wide again next term.
And this happens to be one of the reasons why he is understood to be looking for a way out. Kounde’s situation has alerted plenty of Premier League sides, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all believed to be interested in his acquisition.
At Barça, there is an evident need of making a profit from player sales and Kounde happens to be one of their biggest assets. The 24-year-old has a contract until 2027 and his release clause is said to be worth €1 billion. This means the team from Catalonia can benefit a lot from a bidding war.
This way, they can comply with the Financial Fair Play rule and Kounde’s exit will also open doors for the team to sign new players.
