Why Jules Kounde's transfer is the most important deal of the summer
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 25 Jul 2022 08:17 BST
- 3 min read
While Jules Kounde’s future seems to swing between Barcelona and Chelsea, the one club most eager for a transfer to finally be completed for the Sevilla defender is Bordeaux. For them, this could be the most important deal of the summer.
Barcelona may have known their financial problems in the recent past, but these are nothing compared to the six-time Ligue 1 champions, who are one of France’s most historic clubs.
Last season, they finished 20th out of 20 in Le Championnat. It should have seen them fall to the second tier for the first time in more than 30 years, yet they were subsequently relegated to the Championnat National, the third division, because of their economic problems.
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Since then, they have been fighting a legal battle to save the club. Owner Gerard Lopez saw an appeal rejected by French football’s financial watchdog, the DNGC, at the beginning of July and took the issue to France’s sporting court last week, pledging that a €40m deficit could be plugged.
Bordeaux have set about doing just that. Promising young forward Sekou Mara has been sold to Southampton for an €11m up-front fee (plus potentially €2m more in bonuses), the club’s debt has been restructured and there has been a capital investment of €10m by the Lopez’s company, Jogo Bonito.
On Twitter, Bordeaux posted triumphantly following the Mara sale: “Thanks to this single operation, the club has already reached almost all of its sales target (€14m) in the off-season.”
Almost, but not all. Enter Jules Kounde.
Kounde transfer could save Bordeaux
Kounde was a player picked up by Bordeaux as a teenager in 2013. He would spend four years in the club’s academy system before breaking into the first team, where he played 70 matches and scored four goals. His performance was sufficiently impressive to attract Sevilla, who spent a reported €25m on the player.
Crucially, the transfer that took Kounde to Sevilla in the first place also included a clause whereby Bordeaux stood to gain around 20% of the profits the Spanish club made from selling the player on.
This means that the French outfit stands to gain in the region of €5m from this deal, pushing them over that magic €14m target that was set for them.
Bordeaux’s appeal, though, has already been heard but the outcome of it has not been made public. Kounde’s transfer to either Barcelona or Chelsea could have a decisive influence – but either way, it needs to come soon.
