Barcelona in talks to offload three players, still not enough to register Kounde

COPE journalist Helena Condis has offered an update on Barcelona’s quest to register Jules Kounde.

The Sevilla centre-back is yet to be registered even though he was officiated almost a month ago. Due to the club’s inflated wage bill, they have been unable to register the young defender.

And as we head towards the final phase of the transfer market, Barça are facing a tricky situation at hand, as they look to free up enough budget to register Kounde.

According to Condis, the apparent departure of Memphis Depay will not be enough to register the Frenchman. The attacker’s reported sale to Juventus could bring in about €12 million, but La Liga maintain that the club would require €12 million more to facilitate the registration.

Barcelona have other options on the table, including the sale of other fringe players in the team. Sergino Dest, Samuel Umtiti and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the three players in contention to depart Camp Nou.

Barça are even in constant negotiation with other parties over the sale of these three individuals. However, there has not been much progress, which is alarming given the fact that the club only have around ten days to sanction one more departure.

Dest, for one, has not spoken to any other club over a potential exit from Camp Nou despite the reported interest from Manchester United. Umtiti, on the other hand, is struggling to attract suitors due to his questionable injury record at Barça.

Aubameyang, to that end, is a lot more promising. The Gabonese international remains a target for Chelsea in these late stages of the transfer window, with Thomas Tuchel keen on a potential reunion.

Xavi is not too keen on the prospect of Aubameyang leaving Camp Nou, but with Kounde’s registration on the line, it will be interesting to see how things transpire over the coming days.