Why Chelsea could still sign Kounde for FREE
FT Desk
- Updated: 20 Aug 2022 15:13 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have had a frantic transfer window, bringing in five new signings, but have had troubles in registering them, especially in the case of defender Jules Kounde.
The Blaugrana completed the signing of the defender from Sevilla in a €50 million deal back in July, but he isn’t allowed to play La Liga games for the club just yet.
La Liga have strict financial fair play rules – the “salary limit”, based on a calculation of income against the cost of the squad is designed to prevent clubs from financial trouble and spending more than they can.
If a club’s expenditure on its squad exceeds the limit set by the league, an automated system does not allow them to register players, as seen in the case of Kounde.
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Clause could see Kounde leave
Ahead of the start of the season last week, Barcelona registered four of their new signings – Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
They also managed to register Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele, who extended their contracts with the club having seen it run out after the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Now, it’s emerged that there’s a clause in Kounde’s contract that allows him to leave the club on a free after terminating his deal, should Barcelona fail to register him before 31 August.
This is according to Què T'hi Jugues journalist Adria Soldevila, who also adds that the club will have to pay the €2.5 million in variables that were part of the package when Barcelona agreed a deal with Sevilla.
🚨⚽️ Notícia #QTJ | Clàusula Koundé
✅ Pot marxar lliure si el Barça no l’inscriu abans del 31 d’agost
💰 El Barça hauria de pagar al Sevilla 2'5M dels variables signats
👍 Al club transmeten tranquil·litat. Estan convençuts que s’inscriurà
Informa @AdriaSoldevila #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/RXVU26owrf— Què T'hi Jugues (@QueThiJugues) August 19, 2022
Barcelona, though, are calm about the situation and even though it seems unlikely he can play at the weekend against Real Sociedad, they can get him registered before future matches.
This is due to the sale of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is close to joining Chelsea in a deal that could bring Barcelona around €25 million, in addition to the freeing up of the wage bill.
Other clubs may also be keeping tabs on the Kounde situation, as they’ll be hoping to secure a good defender on a free should his contract be terminated at Barcelona – Chelsea were heavily interested in him earlier in the window.
