Barcelona nearing deal for Sevilla defender for €60 million plus one player

A fresh report from TV3 regarding Sevilla defender Jules Kounde has confirmed that Barcelona are ready to pull the ‘economic levers’ for the 23-year-old and that the transfer could reach as much as €55-60 million while also including a few Barça players.

Kounde has been a subject of strong interest from Barcelona and while there are no sporting doubts regarding the deal, the unstable economic situation has made it difficult for the Blaugrana to strike a deal.

For Barcelona, they are aware of the fee that could bring Kounde to Camp Nou but above all, the player’s salary demands could disrupt all the good work that the team has put in order to become sustainable in the future.

Furthermore, as reported by journalist Matteo Moretto, the club has already met with his agent twice in recent weeks and while Xavi has a positive report at hand, the turbulent economic situation is pulling Barcelona out of it.

This has given Premier League side Chelsea a great chance to pounce on the given opportunity. The Blues have already lost Andreas Christensen to Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, making them extremely vulnerable at the back.

And now that they have funds to take it advance, they have decided to stay in contact with the player’s entourages.

At Barcelona, they will try to lower the fee at once and there are claims that the likes of Sergino Dest, Francisco Trincao and Clement Lenglet could be offered, but neither the players nor Sevilla are too enthusiastic about the move.

For Dest, the right-back does not really fit into Sevilla’s scheme of things while Lenglet believes moving back to Sevilla would be a rather step back.

Martin Braithwaite could emerge as a potential suitor, but no moves have been made in that regard from either side.

Above all, Chelsea remain Barcelona’s main nemesis mostly because the Blues have offered an astronomical salary proposal that it is impossible for Barcelona to even match as it would create massive unrest within the squad.

For now, all Barcelona could do is convince Kounde why they have the superior project at hand. In the end, however, the decision rests with the Frenchman whether or not he wants to come to Barcelona.