Barcelona reach complete personal terms agreement with Jules Kounde – report

Barcelona have recently made headlines across the European footballing media for their reported agreement with Leeds United over the signing of Raphinha.

Just a day after the event, it appears the Catalans have made a huge stride in their pursuit of yet another top target in the form of Jules Kounde.

The Sevilla centre-back had been one of the top defensive targets for Xavi Hernandez in his quest to shore up his options at the back. Although Barcelona announced the arrival of Andreas Christensen earlier in the month, Xavi was keen on another centre-back amid worries over the longevity of Gerard Pique.

The Barça head coach’s desire to sign a top-class centre-back had led them to Kounde, who is regarded as one of the most gifted defensive talents in all of Europe.

Barcelona and Sevilla have been locked in negotiations over Kounde’s potential move to Camp Nou for months now. And according to Gerard Romero, it appears the Catalans have now made a positive stride in their pursuit by reaching a personal agreement with the player.

It is no secret that Kounde himself is keen on playing for Barcelona as he rates the club highly and wants to become a part of Xavi’s defensive setup at Camp Nou.

His desire to play for the club might have played a key role in helping Barcelona reach an agreement with the player. The said agreement opens up an opportunity for the Blaugrana to seal the Frenchman’s services this summer, provided they can woo Sevilla.

Los Nervionenses are not too keen on offloading their defensive prospect on a cut-price deal, though, knowing the player still has two years left on his current contract at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

However, Sevilla could be open to lowering the cost of the operation for Barça, if the Catalans include one of their unwanted stars in a potential player plus cash deal.