How Barcelona plan to beat Chelsea to Kounde
Karan Tejwani
- 4 Jul 2022 11:01 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona and Chelsea are in the race to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde as they hope to bolster their backlines, and the Blaugrana have come up with a strategy for getting the Frenchman’s signature.
Both clubs are in need of a player to improve their defences and have targeted Kounde as their main option, with the player keen to leave Sevilla as well.
Chelsea have lost both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in this window, and are keen to add to their depth and quality at the back, with Thiago Silva being their only experienced option.
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Barcelona, meanwhile, need improvements across the back-line and Xavi sees Kounde as an integral part of the team, with the club eyeing up the player for a while.
Barcelona's plan for Kounde signing
The Blaugrana, though, have come up with a plan to beat the Blues to the signing of the player, and are willing to offer a player as a makeweight in the deal.
They have offered Memphis Depay as a makeweight in the deal, as they are unable to meet the €65 million asking price set by Sevilla for Kounde.
According to Gerard Romero, it’s believed that Sevilla’s sporting director, Monchi, is a fan of Depay and would be willing to have the player at the club.
Although Depay is eager to stay at Barcelona, the club are open to selling him if the right offer arrives, as he is not seen as an essential part of the squad under Xavi.
The Dutchman only has a year left on his contract at the Camp Nou, and if Barcelona are unable to sell him this summer, they will offer him a new deal so that they don’t lose him on a free next year.
Barcelona have already laid foundations to improve their attacking line, having targeted players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, so selling Depay wouldn’t be the worst loss for them.
Additionally, they are reportedly close to agreeing an extension for Ousmane Dembele, who’s contract ran out at the end of last month, and he could be another option.
With that, using Depay in this deal to reduce the financial impact would be sensible, and it would also bring them a quality player in a desired position in the form of Kounde.
