Barcelona respond to Arsenal approach for Jules Kounde
Jules Kounde has received interest from Arsenal (Corbis via Getty)
Barcelona have rejected Arsenal’s initial approach for Jules Kounde, according to reports in Spain.
Kounde has just finished his second season at Barca having joined in a €50 million (£41.8m) deal from Sevilla two years ago.
The 25-year-old is capable of playing at both centre-back and right-back, but primarily played on the right side of Barca’s defence last term and has stayed in the same position for France’s three group games at Euro 2024.
According to Jijantes, Arsenal have made an enquiry to Barcelona about Kounde’s availability this summer, but the La Liga club are not actively looking to sell the France international.
‘Barca have told them he is not going to leave at the moment and for Jules Kounde to leave it would take a high offer,’ said Jijantes host Gerard Romero.
‘They have told Arsenal they are waiting for Ronald Araujo and it depends what happens with him.
‘I have a lot of doubts about selling Jules. I agree in the end you can’t sell both, you have to sell one or the other.’
Ronald Araujo’s future at Barcelona is unclear (Getty)
Given that Kounde has a €1 billion (£837m) release clause as part of contract with Barcelona, Arsenal would need to negotiate a transfer fee for the defender.
Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo’s future at Barcelona looks unclear with the club open to offers for the Uruguay international this summer.
Araujo’s current contract is due to expire in 2026 and several clubs across Europe have expressed an interest, including Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who explored the possibility of signing him in the January transfer window.
Reports have claimed that in order to raise funds, Barcelona would entertain offers in the region of €100m (£84.6m) for Araujo, although that price is unlikely be to be attractive for United, who are working with a restricted budget in the summer window.
Speaking in March, Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, made it clear that the club’s preference would be to keep Araujo.
‘I would renew him for life,’ Laporta said.
‘He’s a wonderful person. He is one of the best centre-backs at the club.’
When asked this week if he could guarantee that he would be playing for Barcelona next season, Araujo replied: ‘I am 100 per cent focused on the Copa America.’
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