Agreement between Sevilla and FC Barcelona: Jules Koundé arrives in Catalonia

One of the soap operas of the summer is coming to an end. Wishing to join FC Barcelona, ​​Jules Koundé sees his wish come true because the Blaugrana announced on Thursday that they had reached an agreement with Sevilla FC. The case will be completed for 50 million euros, plus 5 bonus according to the Spanish press. The French international with 11 selections is now expected in Catalonia to pass his medical examination before committing to the next five seasons.

Before striking a pose with Barça equipment on his shoulders, Jules Koundé will have caused a lot of talk about him this summer. Arrived in Andalusia from Bordeaux in 2019 against 25 million euros, the 23-year-old central defender has proven himself in La Liga as well as on the European scene and quite logically wanted to take a new step in his career.

An ideal profile for Barça

His qualities had caught the eye of Chelsea who were ready to spend 60 million euros to recruit him despite his somewhat atypical athletic profile for the Premier League with only 1.78m. The former Girondin was even announced very close to the Blues and even recently on the shelves of Manchester City. But he finally chose to join Barca.

In addition to a possible Sevillian maneuver orchestrated by sports director Monchi to raise the stakes, the will of the player and that of the Barcelona leaders embodied by coach Xavi seriously weighed in the success of the transaction. The Blaugrana coach spoke personally with Koundé who has always leaned towards the Catalan club.

The central defender’s motivations to join a prestigious club and stay in a league he knows well seem legitimate. His technical qualities and his speed should allow him to quickly integrate into his new team which has been considerably strengthened during this transfer window (Lewandowski, Raphinha, Kessié, Christensen). Despite new economic income, the financing of this expensive Barcelona recruitment still raises questions. For Koundé, this rise in rank could also cement his place among the executives of Didier Deschamps within the defense of the France team, four months before the World Cup in Qatar.