Catalan outlet Sport today features a piece about Barcelona’s interest in signing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, who’s said to be a ‘big obsession’ for manager Xavi Hernandez.
It’s claimed the 23-year-old was one of the coach’s first requests when taking charge of the club, despite their need for reinforcements in other positions as well.
Now when speaking of Kounde, it’s impossible not to mention the competition for his signing. And that’s when Chelsea are brought in by Sport.
Barcelona, however, believe the player would choose their ‘project’ in case they can afford his signing. The price, as always, is said to be €80m, which is the amount on his release clause.
Sport claims that Sevilla know Kounde should leave the club this summer, and will sell him to whoever pays most, even though the player should also have a word in the talks.
At this stage, Barcelona would still need to sell a few players for them to compete for such a big signing. So the financial aspect is undoubtedly where Chelsea could get an advantage in this battle.
