Barcelona are reportedly open to offers for defender Jules Kounde this summer following recent interest from Chelsea and Liverpool.
We recently reported that Chelsea were keen on Kounde, while Liverpool could also be one to watch in the race for his signature.
Now a report from Sport states that the France international’s Barca future is in some doubt this summer, with the club open to a sale, though the player himself would prefer to stay.
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Additional information from Fichajes states that Kounde’s asking price would be in the region of €65m, which could well be tempting for some top clubs out there.
Where next for Jules Kounde as Barcelona open to offers?
Kounde can play centre-back or right-back to a high standard, and has been pretty consistent with his performances for Barcelona and the French national team down the years.
The 27-year-old surely still has plenty to offer at the highest level, but it’s not clear what the future holds for him at this stage.
Sport suggests Kounde is no longer viewed as untouchable, but if he wants to stay at the Nou Camp then it could be tricky to arrange an exit.
Despite our previous information about Chelsea’s interest in Kounde, there has seemingly not been any significant update, with the Blues instead continuing to target top young talents.
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That looks set to see the west Londoners go for Marco Palestra at right-back instead, so there might not be much of a need for them to also bring in Kounde.
This would also be a big change of strategy from CFC, who have prioritised bringing in elite young players to build for the future.
While some fans might be keen to see them being more flexible with that policy, it’s perhaps hard to see Kounde being someone they’d make this exception for.
Palestra’s arrival could mean Malo Gusto leaves Stamford Bridge, but they also have Reece James in that position, so there probably wouldn’t be much sense in moving for another right-back.
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