Barcelona included Dest in swap deal offer for French centre back last summer

Barcelona have been credited with an interest in Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde for a few transfers window now. The Frenchman has taken La Liga by storm since his arrival and is on the wishlist of several clubs across the continent.

SPORT suggest that last summer, in an attempt to sign Kounde, Barça offered Sevilla two players, including Sergino Dest, plus cash. The offer was turned down by their sporting director Monchi, with the Seville outfit asking for the player’s €80 million release clause to be met.

Chelsea were said to be very close to signing Kounde last summer, with the deal falling through at the last moment. The Blues, along with Real Madrid, pose serious competition to Barcelona for the defender’s signature.

Kounde is not, however, the only centre-back on Barcelona’s radar. The Catalans are also chasing the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly Matthijs de Ligt and have almost completed the deal to sign Andreas Christensen from Chelsea.

With Gerard Pique finding his footing under Xavi and Ronald Araujo going as strong as ever, it seems unlikely that Barça will shell out €80 million on a centre-back, especially with Erling Haaland their top priority.