UCL giants ready to sell £51m star to Arsenal on one condition, ask for patience – report

Arsenal have been told to remain patient in their ongoing pursuit of Barcelona defender Jules Kounde, according to Spanish publication Sport (page 12).

The Gunners have been linked with multiple defenders this summer and Gerard Romero recently claimed that the club are looking into a deal for Kounde.

It is now reported that Barcelona are focused on the future of Ronald Araujo, who has yet to renew his contract amid very important proposals to leave the club.

Sport adds that Kounde is non-transferable at the moment, but the situation could completely change if Araujo decides to stay and commit his future to Barcelona.

In other words, Kounde’s exit is directly dependent on Araujo’s stay. Barcelona have asked Arsenal to stay patient. The Blaugrana reportedly need a big-money sale due to Financial Fair Play issues.

Arsenal linked with surprise move for Kounde

Arsenal’s main point of weakness last season was the left-back position. Manager Mikel Arteta started the campaign with Jurrien Timber, but he got injured on his Premier League debut.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu also got turns from the role. Tomiyasu was the regular starter during the final weeks of the league season.

In our view, the club needs to bolster the left-back department. Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori would be a fantastic acquisition with his strong ball-playing attributes.

With this in mind, we are surprised that the club are being linked with Kounde, who has shared his minutes at right centre-back and right-back in his time at Barcelona.

We simply don’t see a deal happening as it may not be guaranteed regular minutes. William Saliba and Ben White are undisputed starters in those roles for the Gunners.

Barcelona will demand £51m if they opt to sell Kounde. We believe the speculation could be agent-driven to attract interest from other potential suitors for the Frenchman.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com