Blues supporters, turn away immediately!
Jules Kounde, a center back for Sevilla, will officially complete his move to the Camp Nou after passing a physical and signing a contract, giving Barcelona a chance to sign him ahead of Chelsea. Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski had already been signed by the Blaugrana before the Blues did, and they also re-signed Ousmane Dembele despite interest from Stamford Bridge and acquired Andreas Christensen from Thomas Tuchel on a free transfer.
As veterans like Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba enter the latter stages of their careers, Xavi now has the 23-year-old Kounde to further mold the future of his defense.
Kounde, courted by Chelsea since last summer, had been with Sevilla since 2019 and has made close to 100 Liga appearances. He can play right-back in addition to centrally, and that former role may be his manager’s preference in his first season.
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How much will Barcelona pay for Kounde?
Barcelona will pay Sevilla an initial fee of €50 million (£42m/$50m), plus up to €10m (£8.3m/$10.2m) in add-ons.
What is Kounde’s Barcelona contract?
Kounde is set to sign a four-year contract that will keep him at Camp Nou until at least 2026 upon the completion of his medical.
Where will Kounde play for Barcelona?
Kounde spent the majority of his time at Sevilla playing centre-back, but he also carries experience at right-back.
Xavi will have several difficult decisions to make at the start of the campaign that will influence where Kounde plays. If the head coach trusts Sergino Dest to defend out wide, then Kounde could play in the middle next to Ronald Araujo and ahead of Christensen, Pique and Eric Garcia.
Alternatively, Kounde could be used at right-back with Christensen starting at centre-back.
Getty / GOALHave Barcelona won the transfer window?
Barcelona have been busy this window, signing Kounde, Raphinha, Christensen, Lewandowski and Franck Kessie. They also agreed a new contract with Dembele, who many had expected to depart after his old deal expired at the end of last season.
Xavi may not be done strengthening his squad, as Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are being targeted.
Meanwhile, the Blaugrana sold Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa and are in talks with Manchester United regarding the possible sale of Frenkie de Jong.
