MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 14:26:36| >> :120:23421:23421:

Barcelona 'still hopeful of beating Chelsea to Jules Kounde'

Barcelona 'still hopeful of beating Chelsea to Kounde'
© Reuters
Barcelona are reportedly still hopeful of edging out Chelsea in the race to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

Barcelona have reportedly retained hope of winning the race to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

Despite their well-documented financial issues, the Catalan giants have made four high-profile additions in the summer transfer window.

Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski will all line up in a Barcelona shirt during the next campaign.

At some stage, Barcelona will need to generate funds through player sales, something that they are attempting to achieve through the sale of Frenkie de Jong.

Nevertheless, according to Marca, the La Liga outfit still have ambitions to make further big-money signings before the end of August.

France's Jules Kounde in action with Portugal's Sergio Oliveira, June 23, 2021© Reuters

The report claims that club officials remain keen to edge out Chelsea in the race to secure the signature of Kounde.

While Chelsea are long-term admirers of the France international, they have not taken advantage of being regarded as the frontrunners for the player.

Although the 23-year-old is said to have a release clause in the region of £69m, Sevilla may be prepared to accept a marginally lower fee for one of their key men.

That would suit Chelsea, who are increasingly eager to sign another centre-back, but any decrease in valuation would only make it more likely that Barcelona will up their own interest.

Barcelona coach Xavi on March 17, 2022© Reuters

The report adds that Xavi is also keen to strengthen his own backline, despite Christensen joining the likes of Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and Gerard Pique at his disposal.

Barcelona have also been heavily linked with moves for Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, and it is unclear where the Spanish pair would fit into Barcelona's plans if they sign Kounde.

A recent report suggested that Barcelona may attempt to include Memphis Depay in any proposal in a bid to reduce their financial outlay.

Earlier on Monday, it was claimed that the Netherlands international would only consider departing Camp Nou for "an important club", it unclear whether Sevilla would fall into that bracket.

ID:490384:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5372:
Written by
Darren Plant

Click here for more stories about Jules Kounde

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Barcelona's Memphis Depay on September 14, 2021
Read Next:
Barcelona 'to hold talks with Depay over future'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!