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Arsenal have identified Barcelona defender Jules Kounde as a potential target to reinforce their defence, according to reports in Spain.
With William Saliba set to be out for months with a back problem and Jurrien Timber unavailable for several weeks as he continues his recovery from groin surgery, finding cover for the pair has become a priority for the Gunners.
Catalan newspaper Sport claim that the Premier League champions see Kounde as the perfect option to fill in at both centre-half and right-back.
They had originally earmarked Ezri Konsa, but Aston Villa’s £60m asking price has put them off from making a bid, and they have now found an “alternative.”
Kounde has played most of his minutes at fullback for Barca
Despite starting his career as a centre-half, the France international has been deployed mostly at right-back since moving to the Camp Nou from Sevilla in 2022.
Kounde has been given 144 starts as a fullback, and just 44 in the middle of the defence over the last four years.
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Could Arsenal sign him for a reasonable price?
Sport report that Barcelona are willing to “accept” bids for Kounde, despite the player having only signed a new five-year contract last summer.
The main reason for that is down to head coach Hansi Flick, who is expected to favour Eric Garcia ahead of the 27-year-old this season on the right-hand side of defence.
That means Kounde is not indispensable to the manager, meaning sporting director Deco would be open to offloading him for the right price. The defender is unlikely to cost as much as Konsa, although interest from other teams could complicate matters.
Chelsea are long-term admirers, while both Liverpool and Manchester United were linked earlier this summer.