Who is he?With the summer window winding down, Barcelona are in a frenzy to reshape their squad. The focus falls on Rodri, Julian Alvarez and Cancelo. But first they need a sale to ease the wage ceiling and fund the ambitious plan of sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick.Spanish newspaper “Sport” report that French defender Jules Kounde could be one of those to leave should a tempting offer arrive. Arsenal have shown serious interest in him as an alternative to their primary target, Aston Villa’s Konsa, whose club want more than 75 million euros. The Gunners think that figure is excessive.Ronald Araujo has already gone, and Barcelona hope to bank around 40 million euros from selling Marc Casado in the coming days. Kounde offers another route to extra income despite his recent renewal until 2030, with every indicator pointing to his desire to stay with the Blaugrana.A conversation with Flick still awaits, though. The German has already spelled out the situations of Araujo and Casado, and the Frenchman lost his shine last season. From the look of things, Flick prefers to build around Eric Garcia in the centre.Kounde is exactly the kind of player who enchants Mikel Arteta. Arsenal’s manager wants a versatile hybrid defender who can play centre-back and right-back, and his side are suffering serious defensive problems at the start of the season. William Saliba is out indefinitely with back problems. Timber, meanwhile, has chronic thigh issues that make it hard for him to play consistently.Club FriendliesArsenalARS13 Aug 202602:30ComoCOMClub FriendliesBaselBAS16 Aug 202622:30BarcelonaBARBarcelona are waiting on events for now and preparing for every scenario. They would certainly accept a multi-million offer for Kounde, provided they land a first-class centre-back to replace him. Flick will cover the left flank with Cancelo, whose signing is now imminent, plus Balde. On the right he has Eric Garcia and the promising Xavi Espart, who is clearly winning the German coach over.Paris Saint-Germain also want a first-class defender, yet the French club have taken no serious steps in that direction. Every sign suggests they will sign a young player of great promise instead. Bayern Munich hold Kounde in their portfolio too, though the Bavarians need to sell more than buy.The final word rests with Kounde himself. He has joined collective training and is waiting for Flick to clarify his situation. His sky-high market value and his contract until 2030 hand Barcelona significant negotiating power.
