Manchester United have made contact to enquire about a summer deal to sign Barcelona defender Jules Kounde, according to reports.
Is Jules Kounde leaving Barcelona?
The France international only arrived at Camp Nou from Sevilla last summer and has been a regular feature under Xavi having made 38 appearances across all competitions during his debut season, but despite him still having another four years to run on his contract, his future is already uncertain.
Earlier this week, 90min reported that the 24-year-old has a desire to leave at the end of the season due to being frustrated about being fielded primarily at right-back rather than his usual centre-back position, but he soon shut down these claims by publicly admitting that he wants to stay beyond the upcoming window.
The Red Devils, however, are likely to be in the market for central defensive reinforcements with Phil Jones set to depart as a free agent, not to mention the question marks surrounding the future of Harry Maguire, and Erik ten Hag has seemingly already reached out to one of his prime targets in the hope of enticing him to the Premier League.
Are Man United signing Kounde?
According to Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness), Man United have “made the first move” for Kounde and have “asked” Barcelona about him in “recent days”. Xavi “isn’t in a position to guarantee” that he’ll be able to play the defender in his natural role and the interest from the top-flight has “not gone unnoticed”, and they know that by cashing in on their prized asset, it would create funds for them to put towards new signings in the summer.
Man United have been heavily linked with a £40m deal for Napoli’s Kim Min-Jae, but Barcelona already knowing how they would spend the money from Kounde’s sale means that he could be available for a cut-price, and it would certainly be a massive coup should he move to Old Trafford.
The World Cup participant, who appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €60m Transfermarkt valuation, currently averages two clearances per La Liga game and has won 21 of his 34 tackles made since the start of the term so is strong in the defensive aspect of his game, but having been hailed a “baller” by sports media manager Alan Feehely, he is also a threat when bursting down the flank.
The Blaugrana’s £226k-per-week ace, who has the versatility to play at left-back and right-back alongside his normal centre-back position, has seven goal contributions (six assists and one goal) to his name across all competitions this season, so for a player who can positively impact the game at both ends of the pitch, this really is a no-brainer of a deal to wrap up.
