In a recent tweet, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano mentioned that Barcelona are preparing a move to land Sevilla defender Jules Kounde. It has been revealed that the Catalan giants are hoping to hijack Chelsea’s move to land the France international this summer.
Jules Koundé. While Sevilla sources deny any agreement with FCB as negotiations are ‘only with Chelsea’, Barcelona are preparing an official bid to try and hijack the deal – as @gerardromero reports ??? #FCB
Chelsea, still waiting for Sevilla/Jules “green light” since Thursday. pic.twitter.com/CEaNH3qoZy
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 23, 2022
Kounde’s Decent Form In Spanish Football Last Season
Kounde experienced another solid season at Seville as he managed to put in a series of dominant displays on the defensive end of the field. The French sensation featured in 44 matches for the Andalusian outfit in the previous campaign, registering three goals and one assist in all competitions.
The Sevilla centre-half gave a good account of himself when defending inside his half after he averaged 1.3 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 3.1 clearances per game in La Liga. He even took care of the ball well when distributing it from the back as he completed 88.9% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Spanish football (stats via whoscored).
What Will Kounde Add To Barcelona Boss Xavi’s Side?
Kounde can time his tackles well to secure the ball back for his team inside his half. He is often quick to spot the danger and doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed.
The French defensive ace is even proficient at playing his way out from the back. He is primarily a centre-half but can even fill in as a right-back if needed. Hence, the talented central defender will be a decent fit for Xavi‘s style of play at Barcelona.
Kounde will add a lot of quality to Barca‘s backline and could go on to form a solid defensive partnership with Ronald Araujo at the Catalan club. At 23, the Sevilla star has got a bright future ahead of him in European football and could help Barcelona challenge for top honours once again in the coming seasons.
The French defender already knows the La Liga well by now and won’t take any time settling into life at the Nou Camp if Xavi can devise a way to get him on board before the end of this summer transfer window.
