Huge Liverpool, Man Utd transfer boost as Barcelona ‘will listen to offers’ for ‘leader’ | OneFootball

Liverpool and Man Utd have been given transfer boost ahead of the summer window with news Barcelona ‘will listen to offers’ for Jules Kounde, according to reports.

The Reds and Red Devils are likely to invest in their defences in the summer transfer window with uncertainty about a number of their players.

Liverpool, who missed out on Marc Guehi in the summer, have lined up a £60m move for Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet ahead of the summer but it seems likely that they will lose Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer.

Injuries to Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong also saw them consider a right-back signing in the winter market with discussions over a potential deal for RB Leipzig’s Lutsharel Geertruida.

Man Utd could also look to improve the right-hand side of their defence over the summer and Spanish website Fichajes insists that Barcelona ‘will listen to offers’ to France international Kounde.

Premier League trio Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea ‘are all closely monitoring the situation’ with his ‘starting price being close to 80 million euros’.

The report adds: ‘The coaching staff, led by Hansi Flick, expected greater consistency and leadership from a player expected to make a difference in the defensive line. However, his performance has been inconsistent, alternating solid matches with others in which he has shown worrying lapses in concentration.

‘These doubts aren’t limited to the sporting aspect. There’s also some concern within the board about the player’s development, especially in an economic climate where every major asset can become a market opportunity. Barcelona needs to balance its books and isn’t ruling out significant moves if the financial gain is substantial.’

The Premier League is a ‘great temptation’ for Kounde, who can play at right-back or in central defence, and Barcelona see the interest from Liverpool and Man Utd as a way to grow his valuation from €65m to €80m.

France team-mate Dayot Upamecano has previously described Kounde as a “leader” and “confident” player after playing against him in the Champions League.

Upamecano said: “I played against him in the Champions League. He’s a confident player and I hope things continue that way. He’s also a leader and he’s beginning to have a lot of experience. I wish him all the best.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has revealed that the signing Jacquet feeds into their transfer strategy of signing young players with a high celing, while having one eye on Virgil van Dijk’s future.

Slot said on Wednesday: “You are longer here than I am, so if I tell you that this club does everything they do with a reason, then I don’t think you are surprised.

“Everything that is done is never from panic. It’s always long term idea or something that is thought about for a long time and not by just one person, but by multiple persons.

“We are aware of the fact that Virgil won’t play for this club for 10 more years. But he has one and a half years left. He will be with us for that period and maybe even longer if he keeps staying as fit as he is now.

“As I said before, what a compliment to him, at his age, to keep playing every three days. Not only for our club, but also for his country, for seven or eight months already.

“Hopefully he can stay as fit as he is for multiple years, but this club is not stupid. We do know somewhere in the upcoming years, there is life for this club without Virgil.

“You are now talking about Virgil, but you can say this for every position. This club is not only thinking about the short-term future, but also for the mid to long-term future as well.”