Barcelona enter bidding war for 23-year-old defender with Premier League giants

Barcelona have had a brilliant week having made multiple quality signings to get their squad ready for the new season.

Having roped in Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski in a matter of days, the Blaugrana have now turned their attention towards Jules Kounde.

It is no secret that the 23-year-old Frenchman is a key target for Barça this summer, with Xavi Hernandez seeking the addition of the defender despite adding Andreas Christensen to the ranks already.

However, Barcelona are facing the risk of losing out to Chelsea in the race for Kounde’s signing. The Blues had called off their pursuit of the French international and moved on to other targets this summer.

But, having faced a setback in their pursuit of Nathan Ake, Chelsea have rekindled their interest in Kounde and have begun negotiations with the centre-back’s camp over a possible transfer, reports Fabrizio Romano.

It has put Barça under pressure, who have been in talks with Kounde’s entourage for a long time now and have established a relationship with them. Indeed, personal terms seem to have already been agreed upon between the two parties.

But, Chelsea are in a position to offer a higher fee for Kounde, which Sevilla will likely be more inclined to accept. However, as we saw with the case of Raphinha, Barça prevailed even though the Premier League giants had thrown more money on the table.

Nevertheless, the Blaugrana will have to ramp up their efforts to ensure that the deal gets over the line at the earliest.