‘Of course they asked us‘ — Deco confirms Manchester City asked Barcelona about €65m star | OneFootball

Even some of the key players in this FC Barcelona team have been linked with moves away from the club in the last few years as the Catalans continue to look for ways to get over their FFP problems.

In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, Barça sporting director Deco was asked specifically about Jules Kounde and whether Manchester City had attempted to sign the French defender this past summer. The Portuguese official clarified the situation:

“Well, wanting to sign someone is very subjective. No, there was no offer. What I do know is that City — and now they have Hugo Viana, and before it was Txiki (Begiristain) — were looking for a full-back, and of course they asked us if Koundé was on the market. And we told them no. So there was no offer and no negotiation.”

Deco went on to stress that the communication with Manchester City was straightforward and transparent:

“It’s like if I know a sporting director of some club and I call him up to ask, because we’re looking in that position, whether you’re thinking about selling a player… As we’ve said from the beginning, the relationship with City, with Txiki and now with Hugo Viana, who is a friend of mine, is good and direct, without any kind of intermediary that doesn’t exist.”

Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images

It is easy to see why Barcelona were not open to allowing Kounde to leave last summer, even though it was clear that the Catalans needed to make some sales to gain some salary margin.

The €65 million-rated Frenchman had an excellent last season, and despite being penalized by Flick on some instances for disciplinary actions, he remained one of the most-used players in the Blaugrana squad.

Ultimately, there was never any real chance of Kounde leaving. Both the player and the club moved quickly during the summer transfer window to agree on a renewal, with the Frenchman extending his contract until 2030.

That commitment not only shut down outside interest but also signaled Barça’s determination to keep one of their defensive leaders as part of their long-term project.