{"id":70381,"date":"2026-08-14T08:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/70381\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T08:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:03:10","slug":"veteran-defender-no-longer-untouchable-as-barcelona-open-to-major-offers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/70381\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran defender no longer untouchable as Barcelona open to major offers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jules Kounde is no longer considered untouchable at Barcelona, with the club willing to listen to major offers for the French defender before the transfer window closes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sport.es\/es\/noticias\/barca\/kounde-deja-jugador-estrategico-barca-133323414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">SPORT<\/a>, even though Barcelona are not actively looking to sell Kounde and no decision has been made regarding his departure, the club would be prepared to assess a significant proposal if one arrives and suits all parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key factor, though, is the player\u2019s position, as he is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/barcelona-defender-has-no-intention-of-leaving-despite-interest-from-arsenal-psg-and-others\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">prioritising staying at Barcelona<\/a> and believes he can still earn a more important role under Hansi Flick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably, a final discussion between the Frenchman and Flick is expected to provide greater clarity over his place in the squad. Until then, Barcelona are keeping the door open to a possible late move.<\/p>\n<p>Kounde no longer guaranteed Barcelona starting role<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kounde has been an important player for Barcelona and remained a regular figure even after the club brought in Joao Cancelo on loan in January.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, his status appears to have changed heading into the new season, as Kounde is no longer guaranteed to be a first-choice starter under Flick.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786694589_862_real-oviedo-v-fc-barcelona-laliga-ea-sports-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jules Kounde of FC Barcelona\" class=\"wp-image-208650\"  \/>Kounde is no longer untouchable at Barcelona. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is because Eric Garcia could potentially be preferred in the defensive line, while <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/barcelona-open-door-to-surprise-centre-back-signing-before-transfer-window-closes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Barcelona\u2019s plans to sign another centre-back<\/a> could further affect the Frenchman\u2019s position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That uncertainty is behind Barcelona\u2019s willingness to consider offers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kounde signed a contract extension until 2030 and earns a substantial salary. From the club\u2019s perspective, if he is not expected to play a guaranteed role, a major offer could become difficult to ignore.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, it is important to note that Barcelona will not force the defender out, but will certainly listen to major offers\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the moment, that has not happened.<\/p>\n<p>Arsenal lead Premier League interest in Barcelona defender<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fc-barcelona-v-eintracht-frankfurt-uefa-champions-league-2025-26-league-phase-md6-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jules Kounde of FC Barcelona\" class=\"wp-image-189331\"  \/>Barcelona are open to offers for Jules Kounde. (Photo by Eric Alonso\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The possibility of a Jules Kounde transfer has already attracted interest from several clubs, particularly in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As reported before, <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/barcelona-defenders-agent-visits-club-facilities-amid-growing-arsenal-interest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Arsenal are currently the most interested club<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, the London club is prepared to pay a significant transfer fee, but they are not expected to make a formal move until they receive a clear indication that Kounde is open to leaving Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is the biggest obstacle to a potential deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As things stand, Kounde has not shown any desire to push for an exit, and his upcoming conversation with Flick could therefore become crucial in determining whether his position changes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jules Kounde is no longer considered untouchable at Barcelona, with the club willing to listen to major offers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,222,223,548],"class_list":["post-70381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-jules-kounde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70381","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=70381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}