How Barcelona's Kounde signing could tempt De Jong into Man Utd move

James Shearman

• Updated: 29 Jul 2022 12:49 CDT
• 3 min read

Barcelona recently announced the signing of Jules Kounde from Sevilla for a reported fee of €50 million, with a potential further €10m in add-ons.

Manager Xavi was keen to bring in another defender ahead of the season, and Kounde was seen as the primary target for the summer transfer window.

There was interest from Chelsea as well, and at one point it looked likely that the Frenchman was on his way to Stamford Bridge, but things have not panned out that way.

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Barcelona had to weave through their financial difficulties to complete the deal, and had to ask Kounde to be more patient as it took a while to get over the line.

The defender obliged, as he saw Barcelona as his dream move, and he will now get the chance to play at the Camp Nou in the 2022-23 season.

But, the transfer of Kounde does mean that the La Liga club have played themselves into a corner with regards to Frenkie de Jong's contract situation.

How Kounde signing affects De Jong?

Barcelona have been busy in the transfer market, and Kounde is the latest to move to the Blaugrana after Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie and Raphinha.

And with their latest addition, Barca have now spent the most money out of all European clubs this summer as they look to complete on all fronts in the upcoming season.

Despite this, the club have asked highest earner Frenkie de Jong to take a pay cut so that he can continue at the Camp Nou.

But, quite rightly, De Jong feels that since the club clearly have plenty of money to spend, there is no reason for him to take a pay cut. This opens the door to a move to the Premier League.

The Netherlands international, who is valued at €64 million by FootballTransfers, has been embroiled in a long-running transfer saga with Manchester United for several weeks.

Some progress has been made, as a €75m fee has been agreed between the two clubs, but the deal has got no further.

That's because De Jong's preference has always been to stay at Barcelona. In an ideal world, he would continue to play under his existing contract.

Though, the 25-year-old would be well within his rights to feel disrespected by his current club, and feel like a move to Manchester United, or Chelsea, is a necessary course of action - out of principle if nothing else.