Kounde registration hinges on Aubameyang to Chelsea
FT Desk
- 19 Aug 2022 19:40 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona may have to sell one of their forward stars in order to complete Jules Kounde's La Liga registration.
Kounde arrived at Camp Nou from Sevilla this summer for a fee of €50 million, but is yet to make his debut for the club.
The defender was the only of Barca's five summer signings to sit out their season opener last weekend against Rayo, and still has not been registered by the Spanish top flight due to problems with meeting the salary cap.
Barca are back in action on Sunday when they visit Real Sociedad, and are hopeful of having Kounde on board for the trip to San Sebastian.
In order to do so in the next 48 hours, though, they may have to sacrifice Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang Chelsea-bound?
Aubameyang has become a top target for Chelsea, who are yet to replace outgoing forwards Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner this window.
And while Memphis Depay, who is close to a move to Juventus, is the most likely candidate to leave in order to free up space for Kounde, Aubameyang is also an option and would bring in fresh cash as well as removing a salary commitment.
According to recent reports, Chelsea have made a formal offer of £15million for the Gabon international's services.
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That bid also includes Marcos Alonso, a long-time Barcelona transfer target who is keen on a move back to his native Spain.
Aubameyang smashed 13 goals in 23 games in all competitions after joining Barca in January, helping to steer the club towards a second-placed finish behind Real Madrid.
But the arrival of Robert Lewandowski threatens his regular spot in Xavi's starting line-up, and he started on the bench against Rayo before entering the action for the last nine minutes.
Read more about: La Liga, Premier League, Barcelona, Chelsea, Jules Koundé, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
