FC Barcelona has held separate meetings with the agents of first team stars Marc Bernal and Jules Kounde according to outlets such as SPORT and Jijantes, who cited anonymous sources.
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FC Barcelona has held separate meetings with the agents of first team stars Marc Bernal and Jules Kounde according to outlets including SPORT and Jijantes, who cited anonymous sources.
SPORT explained that Raul Verdu and Fred Pena, who represent Bernal, headed to Barça headquarters at around 13:00 PM local time in Catalonia on Wednesday.
They met with its Sporting Director Deco and “directly address the midfielder’s situation”.
At the time of publishing, Kounde’s representative Jonathan Kebe had only recently been spotted arriving at the Joan Gamper CT, though you’d think that discussing the Frenchman’s predicament is at the top of the agenda rather than wasting time on tea and pleasantries.
Bernal has recently been the subject of interest from Aston Villa in the Premier League, and could also move down the pecking order with the expected arrival of fellow defensive midfielder Rodri.
The Manchester City star has already agreed to join the Catalans, who have had a first bid of a paltry $53 million (€46 million) knocked back but have verbally improved it.
In the 2007 La Masia graduate that came up with Lamine Yamal, however, Barça wants to communicate that it has complete trust.
In short, Rodri rocking up at the Spotify Camp Nou doesn’t change anything as per the club’s plans with an all important player “from the house”, as they say locally.
Kounde’s FC Barcelona future isn’t as clear
With a contract that expires on June 30, 2030, it’s highly doubtful that Kounde’s agent has been called in for renewal talks.
The France international signed from Sevilla in 2022 has often attracted interest from the Premier League, where Ronald Araujo has just joined Liverpool on loan.
In times when it is trying to land Rodri and Julian Alvarez, while also staying on the right side of Financial Fair Play limits, Barça needs a big sale other than the widely-reported deal struck with Paris Saint-Germain for Ferran Torres.
This is where Kounde could come in, and reports already spread in June that the club was willing to listen to offers for the 27-year-old.
With the World Cup starter rated as high as $92 million (€80 million), that kind of money would definitely help FC Barcelona in the market while Xavi Espart, or potentially Joao Cancelo if he’s bought permanently, are ready to step up to make right back theirs if Kounde is moved on.