Liverpool are aiming to take advantage of uncertainty surrounding Jules Kounde at Barcelona as he considers a Camp Nou exit.
The Reds are expected to have a busy summer transfer window following a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League. Midfield needs serious investment with a number of players already departing.
Another department boss Jurgen Klopp also wants to bolster is in defence and Barcelona star Kounde is a potential option. Reports in Spain suggest he was planning on leaving the Camp Nou this summer after being consistently played out of position. He has since moved to refute those rumours with a post on social media.
Taking to Twitter, he said: "To make it clear, at no time did I ask to leave, and I'm not going anywhere.” That statement has done nothing to quell rumours of an exit.
Mateu Alemany has also confirmed that talks will be held with Kounde regarding his future. Speaking last week, he said: “These are internal situations that we will resolve internally.”
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Xavi has also held discussions with Kounde to find a solution. He said: “I spoke to him, yes, we were happy and everything was clear. I don’t see any problems. We both came out of the meeting happy.”
Amid talk of an exit, Liverpool are aiming to make a move for Kounde. As per El Nacional, the Reds have already lodged an offer for the centre-back, something that has apparently made him ‘hesitate’.
Barcelona would ideally not sell the former Sevilla star but could be tempted to cash in for a fee of around €60m (£52m) in order to ease their Financial Fair Play worries. Kounde has only been at the Camp Nou for a season following his move across Spain last summer.
Chelsea were strongly linked with a move for him throughout the transfer window but were beaten to the punch by Barcelona. Kounde has proven to be an excellent signing for the Spanish giants.
He has made 39 appearances in all competitions for the club and played a key role as the side won the LaLiga crown under Xavi. The 24-year-old still has four years left to run on the original contract that he signed at the Camp Nou.
Should he arrive at Anfield, Kounde would be faced with a lot of competition for a starting berth. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate appear to be the club’s first-choice centre-back pairing at the current time, with Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Phillips all providing back-up.
