Barcelona willing to sacrifice Memphis Depay for Jules Kounde
Cameron Smith
- 3 Jul 2022 21:52 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are willing to use Dutch international Memphis Depay as a make-weight in their bid to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
Depay, 27, only joined Barcelona last summer after his contract at Lyon expired, but the Blaugrana are already willing to let him leave.
Signed during Ronald Koeman's time at the helm, Depay has found himself on the fringes since Xavi took over the reigns mid-season.
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The Spaniard signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres in January, demoting Depay right down the pecking order.
His tally of 12 goals and two assists in 28 La Liga games is respectable at worst, but he isn't in Xavi's plans for next season, meaning the Blaugrana are ready to sell.
With finances still a concern at Camp Nou, selling unwanted assets is high on the club's list of priorities this summer, as seen by their desire to offload Sergino Dest and Samuel Umtiti.
With Raphinha likely to come through the door, Barcelona are willing to let one of their forwards leave this summer, and it appears Depay is the one who's been selected.
Depay to leave Barcelona
According to AS, Barcelona have set an asking price of €25 million on Depay's head, but that may not be the only way they're able to effectively shift him this summer.
If Barcelona do decide to outright sell him, €25m would represent an impressive profit for a club operating on a budget with plenty of debt to repay, especially as his contract is set to end next summer after only signing a one year deal.
However, Gerard Romero has reported that Barcelona are exploring the possibility of offloading Depay another way. He's reported that the club are sounding out the potential of using the Dutchman in a bid for Sevilla defender Kounde.
The Frenchman is now a regular at international level, and although Chelsea remain interested, the Blues are focused on signing Matthijs de Ligt.
Barcelona may not be able to outright sign Kounde based on Sevilla's asking price, but they may be able to negotiate a deal that includes Depay plus a reduced fee.
