PSG Targets Jules Kounde from Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain have set their sights on another prize from Barcelona, and this time the focus is firmly on Jules Kounde.

Luis Enrique has identified the 27-year-old France international as a priority target for this summer, according to reports in Spain, and PSG have wasted little time moving into position. Talks are already open with Barcelona over a deal for forward Ferran Torres; now the French champions want to use that channel to pull Kounde back to Ligue 1 and back to his homeland.

Enrique’s blueprint for Kounde

This is not a speculative move. It is targeted.

Luis Enrique and his staff see Kounde as a central pillar of their defensive rebuild, and crucially, they want him in his natural role. At Sevilla, and for much of his early career, Kounde built his reputation as a central defender with range, aggression and authority. His time at Camp Nou has often pushed him to right-back, a compromise that has never quite suited either player or club in the long term.

PSG’s pitch is simple and powerful: come to Paris and play at centre-back, every week, at the heart of a team built to dominate.

According to RMC Sport, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is personally driving the pursuit, underlining just how highly the club rate Kounde’s versatility and pedigree. When the president steps in, it usually means the deal sits at the top of the agenda.

Another raid on Barcelona

This would not be the first time PSG have dipped into Barcelona’s talent pool. They have already prised Ousmane Dembele from Catalonia and previously welcomed Lionel Messi to Paris. Those moves sent shockwaves through European football; this one would be more surgical, aimed at reinforcing the spine rather than stealing the spotlight.

Inside the club, there is a firm belief they can convince Kounde to buy into the project. Guaranteed, fixed minutes in central defence form the core of the offer, wrapped in the prospect of leading the back line for the French champions in the Champions League.

For a player looking to reassert himself in his best position, that is a compelling proposition.

Barcelona’s stance softens

A year ago, Barcelona treated Kounde as close to untouchable. Not now.

An irregular season under new manager Hansi Flick has shifted internal thinking. The France defender no longer sits in the protected category within the first-team squad. The presence of Eric Garcia and the continued use of Joao Cancelo have created a direct threat to Kounde’s minutes at right-back, the role he has often been asked to fill.

That logjam on the right, combined with the club’s financial strain, has opened the door.

President Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco know they will not see the €70 million offers they turned down last summer. Those days, for this player in this market, have gone. What they do see is an opportunity: a strong, reasonable proposal for Kounde could ease a swollen wage bill and create room for other moves.

The Catalan hierarchy are now described as open to sanctioning the departures of both Kounde and Torres before the window closes. Not pushing them out, but no longer blocking the exit.

The joint offer taking shape

PSG intend to move with purpose. Representatives from the Paris club are scheduled to sit down with Barcelona’s sporting leadership in the second week of August. On the table will be an initial, concrete joint offer for Kounde and Torres, designed to test Barça’s resolve and exploit the existing line of communication.

Timing matters. PSG want clarity before the new Ligue 1 season kicks off, and they want Enrique’s squad as close to complete as possible when the campaign begins.

For Barcelona, the question is blunt. How much is stability in defence worth compared to the financial relief a sale would bring?

For PSG, the equation is clearer. Secure Kounde, lock down the centre of defence, and send another message across Europe that when they identify a target, they do not ask twice.