Barcelona face Real Valladolid in their third match of the season on Sunday evening and the big question ahead of it is whether Jules Kounde will be able to play.
The French defender signed for Barcelona towards the end of July but is yet to be registered by the club and as such, has not made a competitive appearance.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, manager Xavi Hernandez was confident that Kounde would be available tomorrow.
“We are convinced that Jules will be able to play tomorrow and he will be registered.”
Asked how this was possible, Xavi maintained that Barcelona were following the rules.
“We will never adulterate the competition. It’s certain that Barcelona has not done so. It is turning out very difficult to register players. We are optimistic about tomorrow, but it is a matter of numbers and fitting the numbers with the ‘fair play’.”
Mundo Deportivo have referenced three moves that Barcelona have made which might have made a difference from last weekend, when Kounde remained unregistered against Real Sociedad.
Should Kounde miss the match against Valladolid, panic will spread around Can Barca. With just five days remaining in the transfer market, the Blaugrana would be working against the clock to ensure they make sales. Given Xavi’s confidence, it would imply that La Liga have not accepted the numbers that Barcelona thought was enough to inscribe Kounde.
