Chelsea hold a long-term interest in one Barcelona star. They are planning to make a move for him this summer. Arsenal have now joined the race but Spanish giants are also keen to keep hold of the player.
The star in the question is Jules Kounde who joined Barca in 2022. He is 26 years old and can plays as both right back and centre back. He has established himself as one of the best full-backs in the world right now.
Kounde has so far played 138 games for Barca. He has helped the club both defensively and offensively. He has been superb since the arrival of Hansi Flick. This season, he has played 50 matches and scored 3 goals along with picking 8 assists.
Chelsea wanted to sign Kounde back in 2022. But, the player prefered to join Barca at that time. The Blues are once again willing to bring him at West London. They are prepared to spend big on him to lure him away from Barca.
Barca are unwilling to sell Kounde. They rate him very highly and consider him a key part of their squad. But, the Spanish giants are in tough financial situation. This may force them to sell some big names and Chelsea are planning to take advantage of this situation.
Chelsea joined by Arsenal in the race for Kounde
According to Fichajes, Arsenal have joined the race for Jules Kounde. The report adds that they are ready to spend €75 million on the France international. The Blues will view this as a blow as they will now have to face more competition.
However, Chelsea may still have the lead in the race. Arsenal have very good squad depth and it is hard to see them signing another top defender. On the other hand, Chelsea are keen to sign a versatile defender this summer.
The Blues are worried by the injury issues of Reece James. In addition, Malo Gusto has failed to impress which suggests a new right-back will be signed this summer. But as mentioned above, Barca will make it very hard to sign Kounde.
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