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Arsenal looking to test Barcelona’s resolve with£62m bid for key defender

Arsenal are looking for reinforcements in the transfer market and their search could lead them to Barcelona as they look to do business with the Catalan giants once again. Reports from Fichajes suggest that the Gunners will test Barca’s resolve with a lucrative £62 million offer for right back Jules Kounde.

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The north Londoners have faced several injury issues this season, with multiple defenders being ruled out simultaneously, forcing Mikel Arteta to shuffle his squad often. Arsenal have fielded a makeshift back four in multiple games this season, and will look to mitigate the issue by signing a top-notch player in the form of Jules Kounde.

Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all faced injury layoffs. William Saliba is the only defender who has remained fit throughout but will hope that the club signs adequate cover in the event of an injury.

Arsenal turn to Jules Kounde

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Jules Kounde, who has proved to be a solid customer on the right in recent times, would be a great solution for Arsenal. The Frenchman is renowned for his athleticism, ball-playing ability and also his versatility, which allows coaches to utilize him efficiently in multiple roles.

Kounde came through the youth ranks at Bordeaux in France, representing their senior team between 2017-19, before joining Sevilla later that year. He gained prominence in Spain while playing for them, and was signed by Barcelona in 2022.

Since then, he has made 113 appearances for Barcelona, scoring four goals and providing 16 assists. He is also a solid defender and can make rapid tracking runs to get close to his marker. Kounde can also play as a makeshift centre-back.

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The Frenchman has made 25 appearances this season, scoring one goal and providing six assists as well. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal would shell out to acquire him.