(Football news) Barcelona have reportedly completed the signing of Jules Kounde from Sevilla. Chelsea were in pole position to sign the Frenchman but the Blaugrana have come in and hijacked the deal. Kounde is now the 2nd player after Raphinha who has rejected Chelsea in favour of Barcelona. There have been rumours that Chelsea also tried to lure Ousmane Dembele who ended up staying at Barcelona for less money. Xavi is now also keen on bringing Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta which will anger Chelsea and it's fans even more.

Kounde has the experience of playing in the La Liga and was a part of the Sevilla team that won the Europa League in 2020. The Frenchman can play at centre back and left back. He will have a lot of competition in both the spots which will be a welcome headache for Xavi. Barcelona already have the option of Eric Garcia, Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Samuel Umtiti while they have the option of Sergino Dest, Sergi Roberto and Ronald Araujo at right back. Now if both Kounde and Azpilicueta join the club then they will have a lot of depth. 

Kounde's biggest strength is his pace and agility which makes him an incredible asset to any team. He is technically gifted which is a rare trait for centre backs. Barcelona have a very good talent on their hands and he is just 23 years of age. It will be interesting to see if Barcelona have any departures before the end of the season because they already signed 4 players and are close to signing Kounde and Azpilicueta. The financial problems of Barcelona have suddenly disappeared at least from the outside and it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Also read: Dembele and Kean scored twice as Juventus and Barcelona draw 2-2