Barcelona will be forced into at least one major sale this summer, and would probably like to make one or two more to bolster their accounts. Jules Kounde has been picked out as one of their assets that could be moved on this summer.
The Frenchman was meant to be a strategic signing for the coming years, arriving alongside Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski when President Joan Laporta executed the economic levers which are causing so much havoc currently. Relations have deteriorated somewhat over the past 12 months though.
Kounde has not continued the development he showed at Sevilla, and has been unhappy about playing out of position at right-back more often than not, despite Xavi Hernandez promising he would return to his position this season with the arrival of Joao Cancelo. MD say that Barcelona will listen to offers for him this summer.
They are well stocked in the middle of defence, with Ronald Araujo one of the cornerstone pieces that they will try to renew. Inigo Martinez has just arrived, and Andreas Christensen is another case that is in the air, as Barcelona wait to see how the pivot experiment goes, while youngster Pau Cubarsi is set to become a regular member of the first team next year.
Ultimately, the defining factor has been Kounde’s performances. At the start of this season, Kounde had a run in central defence where he looked his old self, but amongst numerous issues for the Blaugrana in defence, his level has been below that of his competition wherever he has played since an injury in September.
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