Kounde to prove Barcelona commitment in El Clasico
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 28 Oct 2023 11:25 BST
- 3 min read
Jules Kounde is ready to prove his love for Barcelona in El Clasico, with the France international defender primed to return from injury soon than expected to face Real Madrid on Saturday.
Kounde has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou, with Newcastle ready to make a club-record bid for the former Sevilla and Bordeaux player in January.
Barca do not wish to part with the player, but given the club’s perilous financial position, they might have been forced into a sale.
The 24-year-old, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €54.5 million, has also been associated with some of the Premier League’s biggest sides, but he will make it clear by putting his body on the line that his loyalty still lies with Xavi and Barcelona.
Kounde picked up a knee ligament injury three weeks ago when, in an encounter against Granada, teammate Gavi stumbled over him as the rivals broke.
The initial prognosis was that he would miss out for five weeks, yet well ahead of scheduled, he is ready to face Real Madrid, having told Xavi that he would do everything to play in the match.
While this action will not put an end to transfer speculation linking Kounde with Premier League clubs, it sends a signal to Barcelona fans that even if bids are made, there is no guarantee that they will lose one of their outstanding players.
Barcelona injury news
Xavi has received a succession of boost ahead of El Clasico on the injury front, with Kounde just one of the players to become available again.
Earlier this week, Frenkie de Jong returned to training, but the midfielder is not able to make his return to action in this encounter. He misses out along with Pedri.
On the other hand, both Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have been cleared for action by Barca, who are chasing their fifth El Clasico victory in the last seven editions of the historic fixture.
