How much will Barcelona pay for Jules Kounde?
FT Desk
- 26 Jul 2022 18:55 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are on the verge of unveiling their latest summer signing in the shape of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
It has been an extremely busy transfer window so far for the Catalans, invigorated by the activation of the now-famous economic 'levers' which have injected much-needed hard cash into the club accounts.
And Barca have wasted no time in using that money to strengthen a side which under-performed badly in the 2021-22 season.
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Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski have arrived from Leeds United and Bayern Munich respectively for hefty transfer fees, while the club also the signings of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on frees and sealed a new contract for Ousmane Dembele after months of uncertainty over the forward's future.
The defence is a particular area of concern for the Catalans, and after the Dane's move from Chelsea Kounde is set to be the next piece of the puzzle in front of Marc Andre ter Stegen.
The France international was also subject of strong interest from Chelsea, only for Barca to beat the Londoners out to the deal.
And not only are Sevilla selling to one of their Liga rivals, they are reportedly doing so for a fee inferior to that offered from Stamford Bridge.
Talks continue between Barca and Sevilla
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca offered a fee worth an initial €40 million plus €5m in add-ons, short of the asking price of €50+5m the Andalucians had set for Kounde or Chelsea's €65m bid.
The defender has already agreed personal terms with Barca and now all that remains is for the clubs to set a price, though Sevilla will likely have to settle for below their original valuation.
Kounde is currently in Lagos, Portugal with the rest of the Liga side's first-team squad, but if progress is made in talks he could soon join up with his new colleagues, currently in the United States on a pre-season tour.
The defender has made 133 appearances for his club since moving from Bordeaux in 2019, scoring nine goals.
