Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Barcelona badge
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Barcelona badge
Barcelona will ‘accept’ a big-money bid for a player who’s helped them win three of the last four LaLiga titles, and a report claims Arsenal are seriously considering a move.
Arsenal plan to make three major additions in the final three weeks of the window, with a defender, left winger and striker on the shopping list.
Arsenal’s greatest strength is their defence, and the options available to manager Mikel Arteta under normal circumstances are plentiful to say the least.
However, William Saliba will miss several months of action while recuperating from a back injury suffered while playing for France at the World Cup.
And with Jurrien Timber still nursing an ongoing groin problem, Arsenal want to dip into the market for a new man at the back.
Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa is a confirmed target, though Villa don’t want to sell and their rumoured price tag of more than £60m is putting The Gunners off.
That’s according to the latest from Spanish outlet Sport who state Arsenal would much rather spend that level of money on Barcelona’s Jules Kounde.
Arsenal interested in signing Jules Kounde; Barcelona open to selling
The 27-year-old has played a key role in helping Barca win LaLiga in three of his four seasons at the club. However, Kounde wasn’t always a regular starter under Hansi Flick towards the back end of last season, and Sport state Barcelona are ready to cash in if the price is right.
Indeed, the report declared Barca would ‘accept a multi-million euro offer for Kounde’ if one arrives.
Arsenal were mentioned in the piece as by far the likeliest club to swoop for Kounde who was a guaranteed starter at right-back for France in the recent World Cup.
Aiding Kounde’s appeal to Arsenal and Arteta is the fact he’s ultra-versatile, being equally comfortable at right-back or centre-back.
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Arteta’s love for those types of defenders was reiterated in the piece. Timber, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie are four current examples of defenders at Arsenal who can play at full-back or centre-back.
Regarding cost, Sport didn’t zero in on how big of a bid would be required to sign the Frenchman.
Nevertheless, it stands to reason Barca would hope to generate at least the €55m they paid when signing Kounde from Sevilla four years ago.
Kounde is contracted at the Camp Nou until 2030, meaning there’s no scope for this to be a deal that’s done on the cheap.