Barcelona monitoring in-demand Spanish defender as Jules Kounde slips away

Barcelona were dealt with a massive blow in their pursuit of Jules Kounde, as Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement with Sevilla over the Frenchman.

It is plausible that Kounde could soon be headed to London, as Barcelona are not in a position to compete with Chelsea’s €65 million offer.

The imminent nature of Kounde’s move to Stamford Bridge has forced Barcelona to consider other alternatives in the market, as Xavi Hernandez is still determined to sign a new central defender this summer.

According to MARCA, the club are keeping close tabs on Pau Torres. The Villarreal centre-back was one of the club’s top defensive targets for a long time, but the Catalans never really made an attempt to lure him to Camp Nou.

Part of that has to do with the fact that Villarreal have never shown any intention to offload Torres. There were attempts from Premier League clubs earlier in the summer, but they were knocked back by the Yellow Submarine.

Central defenders have become a wanted commodity in the market, as evidenced by the big money moves of Matthijs de Ligt, Kalidou Koulibaly, Bremer and Lisandro Martinez this summer.

Barcelona are aware of such a shortage of top-quality centre-backs and as such, they are considering a move for Torres.

The Villarreal star remains keen on sealing a move away from the club after they failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There is a possibility the Yellow Submarine might look to cash in on him as well, amid the looming prospect of UEFA Conference League participation.

Clubs like Manchester United and Juventus have already gotten their hands on top-quality centre-backs, but Torres continues to remain on their agenda. And Barcelona are also keeping tabs on the situation of the left-footed centre-back as Kounde slips away from their hands.

However, at this point, it is too early to tell and there is no guarantee the Catalans can secure the Spanish international, who is likely to be valued at over €50 million by Villarreal.