PSG Targets Kounde as Barcelona Softens Stance
Paris Saint-Germain have set their sights on Jules Kounde, and this time the interest comes from the very top of the club and from the very heart of the dressing room.
The 27-year-old Barcelona defender has been identified as a specific target by Luis Enrique, according to reports from Fichajes, with the PSG head coach pushing to bring the France international back to Ligue 1. Kounde is no longer just a name on a longlist; he is a priority.
Enrique’s blueprint for Kounde
At Barcelona, Kounde has often been shunted to right-back, a role he has filled diligently but never fully embraced as his natural home. Enrique and his staff see something different. They want the former Sevilla man in the position that first made him one of Europe’s most coveted defenders: at the heart of the back line.
The plan is simple and clear. Kounde would arrive as a central defender, with the promise of consistent, fixed minutes in that role. PSG believe that clarity of role, combined with a return to his homeland and a leading part in a title-chasing side, can tilt the decision in their favour.
Al-Khelaifi takes the reins
According to RMC Sport, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is personally driving the pursuit. When the president steps in, it usually signals more than casual interest. It signals intent.
PSG are already in open negotiations with Barcelona over a move for forward Ferran Torres. Those talks provide a ready-made channel. The Paris hierarchy intend to use the existing dialogue to fold Kounde into the conversation and construct a joint operation for both players.
A formal meeting between PSG representatives and Barcelona’s sporting leadership is scheduled for the second week of August. The goal is clear: put a concrete, initial combined offer for Kounde and Torres on the table before the new Ligue 1 season begins.
Barcelona’s shifting position
Twelve months ago, Barcelona treated Kounde as one of their non-negotiables. That label has faded. After an irregular season under Hansi Flick, the Frenchman is no longer considered untouchable within the first-team squad.
The internal competition is tightening around him. The presence of Eric Garcia and the incorporation of Joao Cancelo threaten to squeeze his minutes at right-back, the position he has often been asked to cover. With his role already blurred, the club’s willingness to listen has grown.
President Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco know they will not see again the €70 million (£60m) offers they turned down last summer. That reality has sunk in. What they do see is the chance to ease a strained wage bill with a solid, if reduced, fee for a player whose status has shifted from cornerstone to asset.
The Catalan board are now open to sanctioning the departures of both Kounde and Torres before the window closes. For a club still wrestling with financial constraints, a substantial proposal from Paris would be hard to ignore.
PSG’s Barcelona playbook
This would not be unfamiliar territory for PSG. The French champions have already raided Barcelona in recent years, bringing Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi to Paris from the Camp Nou. Those deals reshaped dressing rooms and headlines on both sides.
Kounde would fit a different profile but serve a similar purpose: a marquee addition, a statement that PSG can still pull prime-age talent from Europe’s traditional giants. For Enrique, it would also be a tactical piece that slots directly into his blueprint.
Now the race moves from background talks to the negotiating table. Barcelona want financial relief. PSG want a commanding, versatile centre-back. Kounde wants clarity over his role and future.
One meeting in August could decide which of those needs gets satisfied first.
