Injury update: Barcelona star defender is ready and available for Mallorca clash

Barcelona will play their final home game of the 2022/23 season tomorrow night when they face RCD Mallorca.

It will be an emotional occasion for players, staff, and fans as this will be the final home match for two club legends Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. Beyond that, the Blaugrana will also bid goodbye to Camp Nou as the stadium reconstruction is set to start soon.

So, the La Liga champions will be aiming to sign off on a high and pick up a resounding win over Mallorca on Sunday night.

And, in their bid to do so, Barcelona have received an important injury boost as star defender Jules Kounde is ready and available to face Mallorca this Sunday.

This report comes from Mundo Deportivo, who claim that the Frenchman has recovered from his minor discomfort and has trained normally on the eve of the match against Javier Aguirre’s side tomorrow night.

Kounde missed Barcelona’s last game against Real Valladolid due to a muscle overload that he picked up in the match before that against Real Sociedad, when he started in his preferred centre-back position.

But, having now rested and recovered, the 24-year-old seems ready to return to the starting XI against Mallorca, especially considering that Ronald Araujo is still not back.

Kounde has been in the headlines quite a bit this week due to speculations about his future at Barcelona. There had been reports that the Frenchman had asked the club to listen to offers for him as he had grown unhappy with being used as a right-back by manager Xavi.

But, the defender took to social media to quash those speculations.

As for a starting spot as a centre-back, Kounde has not always impressed when playing in his preferred position this season. Given that he has to compete with the quality of Araujo and Andreas Christensen, he will be hoping to make a strong impression in the remaining matches of this season.