Five Premier League heavyweights monitoring Barcelona defender – report | OneFootball

Jules Kounde’s current situation at Barcelona has not gone unnoticed in England.

Indeed, according to SPORT, the French defender’s reduced role at the start of the season has once again attracted interest from several of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, who are closely monitoring any developments surrounding the France international.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are among the clubs monitoring Kounde, a player highly regarded in England for his versatility and international experience.

Chelsea, Arsenal showing the strongest interest

The Frenchman’s name had already appeared on the radar of some of these clubs in previous transfer windows, but his current sporting situation has fuelled the rumours again.

Kounde has lost some prominence in Hansi Flick’s line-ups and his number of minutes has been lower than in previous seasons, a situation that has not gone unnoticed among the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

Kounde has lost prominence in the team this season.. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Chelsea and Arsenal are, in this context, two of the clubs showing the strongest interest. The Blues particularly value his defensive versatility, while Arsenal had already shown an interest in the player last summer.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool are also keeping an eye on a situation that could become more significant if the Frenchman does not regain a prominent role in the coming months.

No offers have arrived yet

For now, however, there is no open negotiation and no formal offers have been made for Kounde.

Barcelona arealso under no contractual pressure: the defender recently extended his contract until 2030 and the player himself has reiterated that his intention is to remain at the Catalan club.

The key will be his role in the team. Kounde wants to feel important and maintain a significant place in the project, something that could ultimately influence his future if his situation does not change. In the meantime, the Premier League is watching.

Attracting interest from the Premier League. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona, for their part, are not considering a sale at any price. Only a very high offer could create a different scenario, particularly given the length of his contract and the player’s market value.

For now, Kounde remains focused on regaining his place in Flick’s plans, while admitting he needs to improve.

“It’s a consequence of the previous season, in which I was below my standards,” he admitted recently.

“It’s a challenge that I accept. It’s up to me to recover my sensations because I know that, when I’m at my best level, I can have minutes,” he added.

But in England, five giants are already prepared to monitor any opportunity closely.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are also keeping a close eye on the right-back market in case they need to act. Pedro Porro (Tottenham) and Ivan Fresneda (Sporting CP) are the players they like most.