Chelsea on red alert as Barcelona make ruthless decision to sell star player
Robin Bairner
- 11 Dec 2023 07:28 GMT
- 9 min read
Barcelona have taken the radical decision to put Jules Kounde up for sale in the January transfer window, opening the door to a potential move to Chelsea, who have been long-time admirers of the defender.
Todo Fichajes reports that Barca have come to the decision to sell Kounde in a bid to secure the future of Ronald Araujo, who has been attracting interest from Bayern Munich.
With the club straining financially, it has been decided that a recent defensive recruit will have to be sacrificed to allow them to keep Araujo, and Kounde is the player that Xavi has picked to leave.
The France international has not, in Barcelona’s opinion, been at the peak of his form while it is claimed that his “refusal to play as a right-back” has forced Xavi to change his plans. Meanwhile, the coach rates Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Inigo Martinez ahead of him in the central area.
Kounde maintains a strong reputation among the cash-rich Premier League clubs, so the ultimate goal of Barcelona is to sell him to a leading English side.
Chelsea back in for Kounde?
Chelsea will be one of the clubs most interested to hear of Barcelona’s Kounde decision, having been locked in a dramatic tug-of-war for the player during the summer of 2022. The Blaugrana ultimately landed him for €50 million.
Barca president Joan Laporta pulled a rabbit from the hat to seal the signing of the France star at that point, with reports suggesting that a move to Chelsea was probable.
Although the Blues have since added to their defensive ranks, with Kounde’s compatriots Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi both notably moving to Stamford Bridge, the potential exit of Thiago Silva at the end of his contract remains.
Kounde vs LaLiga centre-backs: 2023/24
Furthermore, manager Mauricio Pochettino cannot be happy with a defence that has conceded 26 goals in 16 matches this season.
Kounde, who data analytics experts SciSports rate as one of the best centre-backs in LaLiga this season, has an Estimated Transfer Value of €53m.
