Before his move to Barcelona, Jules Kounde was one of the most sought-after centre-backs in world football.
The Frenchman has developed into one of the world’s best defenders and racked up a lot of interest this summer as a result, with Barcelona and Chelsea ending up being the two contenders that fought for his signature.
The Catalan side won out in the end after hijacking the Premier League side’s move for the 23-year-old but Kounde has now admitted that Man City tried to sign him again during the latest transfer window.
What has Kounde said about Man City’s interest?
In an interview with L’Équipe, Kounde elaborated on the interest he amassed from multiple clubs during the 2022 summer transfer market. The 23-year-old defender revealed that Man City were keeping tabs on him over the summer, but they could not make it happen due to the Premier League side being unable to shift their fringe players.
Explaining City’s interest in him over the years, Kounde said: “Yes, after my first season in Sevilla. It was very tempting [a move to Man City]. But I had also specified that it was my first year and that there was no question of forcing anything.”
When asked about whether they tried to sign him once again this year, the Frenchman admitted:
“Yes, but players had to leave the club [Manchester City] first.”
Man City had a successful summer mainly due to the acquisition of Erling Haaland but had they signed Kounde as well, that would have been a scary scenario for every other team involved in the Premier League.