Sevilla sporting director Monchi has spoken about rumours linking Barcelona with a move for their 23-year-old French centre-back Jules Kounde. He denied that talks are ongoing and said that while he sees the logic in their interest there’s nothing happening.
Monchi also opened up about Sevilla’s reported interest in Galatasaray’s Brazilian centre-back Marcao, who many claim has been lined up to replace Aston Villa-bound Diego Carlos.
“There are zero contacts with Barcelona for Jules Kounde,” he said as carried by Fabrizio Romano. “No talks ongoing. I understand Xavi [Hernandez] as [Ronald] Araujo and Kounde together would be great but there’s nothing. Marcao? He’s one of many options in my list.”
Sevilla are set for a big summer. They finished fourth in La Liga last season despite threatening to challenge Real Madrid for the title until a rather late stage of the campaign. But the way their form tailed off toward the end of the year – coupled with their abject failure in Europe – hasn’t inspired optimism this summer.
As aforementioned, Diego Carlos has already left for the riches of the Premier League and it’s widely expected that Kounde will follow him out the door. Replacing one of the best centre-back partnerships in Europe is going to be a difficult task.
Sevilla director Monchi: “There are zero contacts with Barcelona for Jules Koundé. No talks ongoing”. ⚪️🔴 #Sevilla
“I understand Xavi as Araújo and Koundé together would be great but there’s nothing. Marcão? He’s one of many options in my list”, he added on Galatasaray’s CB.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 4, 2022
