Memphis Depay being made available to Sevilla by Barcelona as part of a deal to sign Jules Kounde this summer is apparently something the club is thinking about.
Barcelona is considering using Memphis Depay as a makeweight in its pursuit of Sevilla and France defender Jules Kounde this summer, claims Spanish journalist Gerard Romero (h/t Express). Chelsea is also interested in signing the 23-year-old.
Over the past three years, Kounde has been among the best center backs in La Liga. Since moving to Julen Lopetegui’s team from Bordeaux in 2019, the Frenchman has played a crucial role. His performances for Los Nervionenses have helped him win fans from all around Europe. The two teams showing the most interest in Kounde this summer are Chelsea and Barcelona.
It is no secret that Chelsea needs a defensive makeover, since the Blues parted ways with Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger after their contracts ended. Although they are optimistic they will be able to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, Kounde is still a player that Stamford Bridge is interested in.
However, in the hunt to recruit Kounde from Sevilla, Chelsea will face off against Barcelona. The Blaugrana are eager to bolster their defensive ranks before the 2022–23 season kicks off, much like Chelsea. All three of Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, and Oscar Mingueza are anticipated to be let go this summer, while Gerard Pique’s advancing age and injury issues suggest he will likely have a less role next season.
Therefore, despite acquiring Christensen on a free transfer, Camp Nou still has to add a quality center-back, and Kounde has emerged as Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona’s top target. However, the trade has not yet been completed since the Catalan powerhouses have so far been hesitant to accept Sevilla’s value of the defender.
According to rumors, Barcelona would be willing to pay just €45 million for Kounde, a price that the Andalusians might not be willing to accept. Barcelona is therefore looking into the prospect of signing the French international in a player-plus-cash deal.
Sergino Dest may be included in the Blaugrana’s bid for Kounde, as has been previously mentioned. However, they are now thinking about sending Memphis Depay in the opposite direction to persuade Sevilla to release the defender.
Depay only recently joined Barcelona and had a strong first season. Despite being hampered by injuries and having less playing time after Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona in January, the 28-year-old concluded last season as Barcelona’s joint-top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions.
Barcelona is working hard to recruit Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski while also getting close to a contract agreement with Raphinha. Depay might so lose his position of prominence in the team. The Blaugrana are currently debating whether to offer him to Sevilla as part of the deal to sign Kounde because his contract is up next year.
Depay, for his part, wants to stay at Barcelona and is attempting to negotiate a new deal. But it appears that the Catalans have different plans for his future, so it will be interesting to see how this narrative plays out over the next few days.
