Barcelona willing to part ways with defender for around €50 million, Manchester United declare interest: Reports
Manchester United have reportedly set sights on signing defender Jules Kounde from Barcelona. The Catalan side are said to be looking to sell the Frenchman this summer and the Red Devils are showing interest.
As per a report in Football Transfers, Kounde will be available this summer for a cut-price deal. Barcelona have put a €50 million price tag on the defender.
Manchester United are the first club to show interest as they look to bolster their defense following Raphael Varane's departure. Manager Erik ten Hag has asked for a replacement for the French defender and INEOS have set sights on Kounde.
Mikael Silvestre had previously urged the Red Devils to sign the Frenchman when he was being linked with a move to Chelsea. He told BettingExpert:
"You've got to consider Jules Kounde, for sure. That could be one to be added to the list. Everybody is linked with United, all the top players and top defenders are linked. I think Jules Kounde should be high up on the list."
Barcelona are seemingly still in a financial crisis, while Manchester United are looking to rebuild their squad. Both sides are keen on getting the deal done soon to start their pre-season with the majority of transfer business done.
Erik ten Hag rebuffs claims about Manchester United's transfer plans
Reports at the end of April suggested that Manchester United were looking to make a massive change at the club. The Red Devils were said to be open to selling a major chunk of the squad, but Erik ten Hag squashed the reports quickly.
He said (via Sky Sports):
"It's a joke! As long as I worked here, every summer, 200 players are getting an interest from Man United, which is untrue. We did some research. Every summer, we sell every player in our squad. Which is untrue. Be calm and take responsibility when you take such a headline. It is totally c**p."
He added:
"Always a lot of work. It's normal that when you go into a transfer window. Those injuries [United have had this season] had a big impact. We are still below the levels from the expectations that Manchester United has. So we have to catch up. I am now going into my fifth window, two windows were ok, two windows we missed. We have to make new improvements in the summer. There is a base of this squad that is very good. Injuries had a big impact on our season."
INEOS have reportedly decided to take full control of transfer from this summer. They are looking for inputs from the coach, but will not be asking for names.