Confirmed! Jules Kounde will be heading to Barcelona
(Picture: Getty/Evening Standard)Jules Kounde has revealed talks with Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez played a major factor in his decision to move to the Camp Nou.
On Thursday, the Catalan giants confirmed they had reached an agreement with Sevilla over a deal for the French international, despite Chelsea’s interest.
The Premier League side pushed hard to sign the 23-year-old in an attempt to strengthen a defence weakened by the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, with the latter moving to the Camp Nou on a free transfer.
Kounde was told to delay making a decision about his future as the La Liga side raised funds, leaving Thomas Tuchel in an anxious wait.
Now, Kounde will be heading to Barcelona, joining another Chelsea target in the form of Raphinha as Xavi oversees a major rebuild of a side who failed to win a trophy last season.
Speaking to Barca’s in-house media channel, Kounde said: “Xavi is a big reason as to why I’m here. His spiel convinced me, I’m excited to start working with the team.
“It’s clear that we see football in the same way”.
