Shrishh Attavar
Manchester United eye a move for Barcelona’s Jules Kounde; two other plays on shortlist
Barcelona’s Jules Kounde, who joined the Catalan club from Sevilla in 2022 amid interest from Chelsea and Arsenal among other clubs, sees himself on the list of targets for Manchester United this summer.
According to Sport via The Sun, the 25-year-old Frenchman is a top target for the Red Devils who continue to keep tabs on two other central defenders. Juventus’ Gleison Bremer is one alongside Everton youngster Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been among the best young players outside the top six in the Premier League this season.
Kounde is a very versatile player, capable of playing as a right-back apart from his natural centre-back role. His pace and athleticism allow him to switch seamlessly between positions and has been brilliant here, and there.
We need reinforcements!
Let’s look at the current centre-back options at Manchester United. Lisando Martinez; injury injury-prone. Raphael Varane; inconsistent and not the same player he was. Harry Maguire; in and out of the XI, no consistency in selection when it comes to him. Victor Lindelof; a decent squad option but not good enough to start.
Considering all of this, a 25-year-old with a long future ahead of him, who is better than Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a right-back and will without any doubt, walk into the team purely as a centre-back is a very good option to add to the squad.
Having said that, if PSR and FFP rules are a problem and limit our spending ability, we can also have a look at Bremer, who was absolutely brilliant at Torino before securing a move to Juventus, where he is one of the first names on the team-sheet. The 26-year-old Brazilian international has three international caps to his name as well but is a pure centre-back and does not offer a great deal of tactical flexibility.
Branthwaite, on the other hand, is the youngest of the lot. At 21 years of age, he has been one of Everton’s most consistent players this season and has caught the eye of many. Following a very successful loan spell at PSV last term, he has returned to Merseyside with a lot of vigour. Moreover, he is a left-footer which makes him a direct swap for the likes of Licha.
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Let’s see how things go for the club in their pursuit of excellent centre-backs. One thing that is absolutely crystal clear is the fact that the sense of direction under INEOS feels tangible even though it is not.
