Sevilla defender Jules Koundé has asked his agent to ‘negotiate with Manchester United’, who are reportedly ‘going crazy’ to sign him.
That’s the interesting claim from El Nacional today, who say the defender does not want a move to Real Madrid as he doesn’t trust Carlo Ancelotti.
They explain that after rejecting efforts by Chelsea in the summer, Sevilla know it is only a matter of time before they lose Koundé to one of the ‘giants’ in Europe.
They’re all ‘pining’ to sign him, including Real Madrid, who ‘applauded’ Sevilla’s refusal to sell to Chelsea for anything less than €90m in the summer.
They were unable to make a move because they were trying to sign Kylian Mbappé, but now their focus is back on defence as they want a partner for Eder Militao so they can play David Alaba at left-back.
That would cause problems for the Frenchman, who wants to be a key player wherever he is playing to ensure he is a part of France’s squad for the World Cup next year.
That is where Manchester United reportedly come into it. They were keen on Koundé in the past but rejected the opportunity as they felt he’d end up at Chelsea, and they were signing Raphael Varane anyway.
They invested their money in Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho instead, but now the ‘race is back to square one’, and they have decided to ‘make a strong bid’ for the centre-back.
United reportedly believe a pairing of Varane and Koundé would be ‘unbeatable’, and they will not ‘let up’ in their efforts to sign the latter.
This is all good news for Sevilla and their director of football, Monchi, who is ‘rubbing his hands together’ at the prospect of a bidding war for a player who can bring in as much as €90m.
Whether Manchester United will pay that isn’t mentioned, but it’s certainly hinted at, something we find hard to believe.
For a start, El Nacional seem to have forgotten that United already paid that price for Harry Maguire and are more than happy with him as a partner to Varane.
Koundé, therefore, would only be a third choice at Old Trafford, meaning a move for him and United would make absolutely no sense whatsoever.
We’ll therefore be taking this with a massive pinch of salt for the time being, with this rumour reeking of El Nacional getting a little over-excited at the recent Koundé and Manchester United links.
