{"id":49367,"date":"2026-07-02T18:56:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/49367\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T18:56:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:56:22","slug":"liverpool-fsg-on-alert-as-barcelona-slash-elite-french-stars-price-tag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/49367\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool: FSG on alert as Barcelona slash elite French star’s price tag"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool and Chelsea could battle for the impressive signing of Jules Kounde after Barcelona dropped their demands for the Frenchman, a report has claimed.<\/p>\n

Chelsea first targeted Kounde in the summer of 2022 after he developed a reputation as one of LaLiga\u2019s best defenders while at Sevilla. The Blues held talks for Kounde<\/a> but lost out as he decided to join Barca instead.<\/p>\n

Since then, the versatile defender \u2013 who can play as a right-back or centre-half \u2013 has made 188 appearances for Barca, helping them win three Spanish titles, one Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana three times.<\/p>\n

Chelsea have maintained their interest in Kounde ever since, but CaughtOffside<\/a> report that Liverpool are also interested in bringing him to the Premier League at long last.<\/p>\n

Liverpool<\/a> and Chelsea have been \u2018given the opportunity\u2019 to sign Kounde for a reduced price, as Barca have dropped their demands from \u00a365-70m to \u00a355m.<\/p>\n

That fee is very enticing for one of the best right-backs in the world.<\/p>\n

READ: The most expensive midfielders in transfer history now features 6) Fernandes<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite the fact the 27-year-old played 47 times under Hansi Flick last term, Barca see him as \u2018expendable\u2019 and \u2018have been sounding out\u2019 suitors such as Liverpool and Chelsea.<\/p>\n

Kounde now being available for \u00a355m could \u2018invite more concrete interest\u2019.<\/p>\n

Liverpool are \u2018keeping an eye on developments\u2019 as they plot defensive additions this summer.<\/p>\n

Kounde\u2019s versatility could make him a perfect fit at Anfield. The Reds have lost Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid on a free transfer, while Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong both had injury-hit seasons in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Although, it is important to note that Andoni Iraola and Richard Hughes currently have other priorities in the transfer market.<\/p>\n

Kounde unlikely to be top Liverpool target<\/p>\n

They still need to find Mohamed Salah\u2019s successor after learning top target Yan Diomande would rather join Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n

Liverpool are also searching for a new central midfielder, as Curtis Jones wants to leave, while Alexis Mac Allister has also been linked with an exit.<\/p>\n

Chelsea, meanwhile, have made Crystal Palace\u2019s Maxence Lacroix their \u2018priority target\u2019 to bolster the defence for Xabi Alonso.<\/p>\n

But CaughtOffside suggest the Blues might open talks for Kounde if they fail to snare Lacroix.<\/p>\n

Kounde has been linked with a move to the Premier League several times already this year.<\/p>\n

It was claimed in February that Liverpool would be willing to pay \u00a370m for the France World Cup star. If this is true, then his price dropping to \u00a355m represents brilliant news for Anfield chiefs.<\/p>\n

On April 6, there was speculation Chelsea are making an \u2018aggressive move\u2019 to land Kounde.<\/p>\n

And on May 5, Barcelona-based outlet Mundo Deportivo suggested Liverpool will \u2018step up\u2019 their interest in the player by sending Barca a \u2018significant offer\u2019.<\/p>\n

READ NEXT: Who are the highest-scoring clubs at the 2026 World Cup? Arsenal overtaken by unlikely Prem pair again<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Liverpool and Chelsea could battle for the impressive signing of Jules Kounde after Barcelona dropped their demands for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49368,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,1707,548,1818,273,100,1743],"class_list":["post-49367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-front-page","tag-jules-kounde","tag-liverpool","tag-news","tag-premier-league","tag-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}