Barcelona will not let Jules Kounde leave for a cheap sum in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants want €75 million to part ways with the 24-year-old defender. And the player is a target for Premier League giants Chelsea. Jules Kounde has been one of the best performers for Barcelona since joining them from Sevilla last summer.
But the Frenchman has not reprised his preferred role of a centre-back in the ongoing season. The 24-year-old has been exceptional in an unfavoured role, so much so that he is in the Team of the Season in La Liga. But recent reports have claimed that the player is not content and wants to play as a centre-back next season.
Several other Premier League clubs have also shown interest in securing Kounde’s services. But Chelsea might be the front-runner to land the Barcelona defender if he decides to leave the Catalan club.
Thiago Silva is in the twilight of his career and will not be at Chelsea for many more years. So despite signing three centre-backs in the last two transfer windows, Chelsea can do with another this summer.
Kounde is thus a viable target for the Premier League heavyweights, who now know how much he will cost. Barcelona will demand €75 million to sell the 24-year-old if push comes to shove in the coming weeks.
Recouping that sum will also go a long way in helping Barcelona balance the books. That said, Kounde has publicly said this week that he does not want to leave Barcelona.
