Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Jules Kounde from Sevilla, ending the tumultuous and dramatic transfer saga once and for all. The player will sign a five-year deal with them, and has already arrived in the city to complete the medicals for the transfer.
Chelsea and Barcelona were locked in a tussle for his signature, with the player agreeing personal terms with both clubs. However, despite Barca offering a much lower bid than Chelsea’s £55 million, they have been able to complete the signing of the centre-back.
Jules Kounde announced by Barcelona
The centre-back follows Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Robert Lewandowski and Pablo Torre as new signings for the Blaugrana. Even though they are in a very difficult financial situation, they are still signing players and will be able to register them upon activating their third lever.
Reports are now emerging that Thomas Tuchel was never really keen on signing Jules Kounde. Which is why the interest in him dropped off early on in the transfer window. Sevilla reportedly used the interest to demand a bid from Barcelona to sign the player.
In either case, Kounde is now a Barcelona player and will soon be presented at Camp Nou as well. Chelsea, on the other hand, are looking at alternatives to bolster their defense with Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso on the verge of joining Barcelona.