Barcelona €60 million defender not thinking about leaving club amidst Chelsea, Arsenal links
Barcelona will be looking to conduct an overhaul this summer transfer window as they offload players for money in an attempt to plug other holes in the team, such as the pivot position or the left-wing.
As such, several players have been linked with an exit, including the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, and most recently, Jules Kounde.
The French centre-back signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2022 for nearly €60 million, but has failed to make a lasting impact at the club, especially in the centre-back position.
Xavi has largely used him only as a right-back — a position Kounde does not like playing in, and has been vocal about the same.
Reports have linked him with an exit in the summer, with Barcelona hoping to raise at least €100 million through player sales in June. Kounde, meanwhile, has attracted interest from the Premier League, with Chelsea name-checked.
However, as per a report by Mundo Deportivo, Kounde does not want to leave Barcelona this summer.
The report confirms that Chelsea had sent scouts to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium yesterday to prepare reports on Victor Osimhen, but also on Kounde. The Blues want to sign him to replace Thiago Silva, who is turning 40 this year.
Chelsea were, in fact, locked in a battle with Barcelona to sign Kounde in 2022, but the then-Sevilla defender chose to move within Spain, instead, after agreeing personal terms with the Catalan giants.
Newcastle United and Arsenal are also keeping tabs on him for the summer. The later could lure him to London with an offer to compete in the Champions League and Premier League, while the former do not seem to be making top four this season.
Either way, Kounde has a release clause of €1 billion in his contract, and the final decision to leave the club will boil down to him in the summer. The best Barcelona can do is try to push him out, out of desperation.
