Manchester City made an approach to sign Jules Kounde in the summer, with Barcelona sporting director Deco having revealed how close the transfer came to being completed.
Man City were able to rely on Kyle Walker as their right-back for seven and a half years, with the England star making over 300 appearances for the club and helping them win plenty of silverware including six Premier League titles, one Champions League and two FA Cups.
But Walker asked to leave the Etihad in January, and he spent six months at Italian giants AC Milan before joining Burnley on a permanent basis in the summer.
Since Walker’s exit, City boss Pep Guardiola has had to use the likes of Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes and Abdukodir Khusanov at right-back.
Lewis is more than comfortable there, but Nunes and Khusanov have both had to get used to the position. Nunes wants to play in central midfield – though Guardiola does not trust him there – while Khusanov is more of a centre-half.
While some City fans were left disappointed that a top-quality new right-back did not join over the summer, director of football Hugo Viana did attempt such a transfer.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona chief Deco confirmed that City enquired about the availability of France star Kounde, who is typically viewed as one of the best right-backs in the world.
Despite the two clubs having a ‘good relationship’, Deco never considered selling Kounde and City did not launch a concrete bid.
When asked about City moving for the 26-year-old prior to his new contract in August, Deco replied: “Look, wanting to sign is very subjective. No, there wasn’t an offer.
“The only thing I do know is that City, and now there’s Hugo Viana and before that there was Txiki (Begiristain), were looking for a full-back, and of course they asked us if Kounde was on the market. And we told them no.
“So there was no offer or any negotiation. It’s like if I knew a sporting director at a club and I would call them and ask why we were looking in that position and if you think or are considering whether it’s for sale…
“As we’ve said from the beginning, the relationship with City, with Txiki, and now with Hugo Viana, who is my friend, is good and direct, without any intermediaries that don’t exist.”
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While City could not land Kounde, the close relationship between Deco and Viana suggests other deals between the two clubs could be finalised in the future.
Pedri, Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo are just some of the other Barca players City have been linked with over the past 12 months.
Returning to their right-back hunt, the Cityzens would love to raid Newcastle United for Tino Livramento.
City pondered a bid for Livramento in the summer but were warned off by Newcastle’s firm stance. The Magpies see Livramento as a key player for the future and would want a massive fee before letting him go.
Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, he suffered another knee injury during the recent defeat to Arsenal. Livramento has already had an ACL injury earlier in his career and is waiting to see how long he will out for this time around.
If it is a long-term issue then City will almost certainly move onto other targets.
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Meanwhile, Barca have earmarked a City forward as a potential blockbuster signing for 2026, as per reports.
Bernardo Silva has regularly been linked with a move away from City, and such an exit could finally happen next year.
‘Talks’ over his next transfer are already underway, according to reporter Ben Jacobs.
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