In a recent report, The Daily Mail has stated that Manchester City have stepped up their pursuit of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde despite having their opening offer rejected by the Andalusian club during this summer transfer window. It is understood that the Mancunian giants have been warned that they will have to match the player’s £82m release clause, but Kounde’s desire to move to the Etihad Stadium could force Sevilla to sell him ‘for a compromise fee’ (via The Daily Mail).
Kounde’s Impressive Rise At Seville Last Season
Kounde experienced a successful season at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium as he put in a series of commanding displays at the heart of Julen Lopetegui’s defence. The 21-year-old made 40 appearances for the Spanish club last season, registering two goals and one assist in all competitions.
More importantly, Kounde managed to discover a run of consistency after he averaged 0.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 3.0 clearances, 0.8 shots and 0.6 dribbles per game in the 2019-20 La Liga campaign. He also distributed the ball with a lot of conviction and accuracy as evident from his pass completion rate of 85.9% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
The French defensive ace even managed to help the Andalusian giants win the last edition of the UEFA Europa League which means that he will bring a winning mindset to the north-west of England if Guardiola can find a way to land him before next month’s transfer deadline.
What Will The French Youngster Add To Pep Guardiola’s Side?
Kounde is a deceptively quick centre-back who has a great leap in him that helps him win his fair share of aerial duels inside his penalty area. He excels at making some important clearances for his side and has proven himself to be a decent ball-playing defender due to his ability to step up and dribble with the ball when given time and space going forward.
The Frenchman can time his tackles well, which helps him to earn possession back for his side. However, he is still quite inexperienced at the highest level, so he might need some time to establish himself as a regular feature in the Premier League where he could initially struggle to cope with the physical nature and high intensity of English football.
Kounde is highly versatile as he is primarily a centre-back but can operate in both full-back positions if needed. With Man City now weighing up the possibility of including Nicolas Otamendi in the deal, it just might be enough for them to tempt Sevilla into agreeing on a transfer for Kounde this summer.
Guardiola needs another quality centre-half if he intends to have a strong squad capable of challenging for the league title and the UEFA Champions League crown this season. Hence, Man City should try everything they can to bring Kounde to Manchester ahead of the summer transfer deadline in October.
