Jules Kounde recently joined Barcelona, after rejecting a move to Premier League side Chelsea.
The transfer saga of Kounde continued for weeks and weeks with both Chelsea and Barcelona battling it out to sign the French defender.
Eventually, Kounde opted to join Barcelona, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed why Kounde rejected a move to Chelsea in order to join the Spanish giants, speaking to CaughtOffside via his Substack column.
“Jules Kounde didn’t choose Barcelona for financial reasons. The two clubs offered a similar wage package, but Barcelona was Kounde’s priority from day one,” said Romano.
The attraction of Barcelona still appears to be exciting for many players around Europe, especially those who have experienced playing against the Spanish club regularly.
Kounde would have faced Barcelona on multiple occasions during his time at Sevilla, witnessing the immense atmosphere their fans create.
“Xavi Hernandez insisted every week to Kounde that he should choose the project at Barcelona, with a plan to make him a star alongside Ronald Araujo,” added Romano.
Chelsea appeared to have multiple targets in defence, with Romano confirming that they were also attempting to sign Presnel Kimpembe, Matthijs de Ligt, and Nathan Ake, whereas Xavi prioritised the signing of Kounde and convinced him he would be a star alongside Araujo.
Had Chelsea focused purely on Kounde rather than lining up deals for multiple players, then Kounde may have been tempted to make the switch to the Premier League.
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