Jules Kounde impressed in his debut season in La Liga (Getty Images)
According to ESPN (h/t Daily Mail), Manchester United are pondering over the prospect of bringing in the £82m-rated Jules Kounde from Sevilla in January. He was the subject of interest for various clubs this summer, which included Manchester City. However, any move for Kounde would depend on United offloading a few of their centre-backs.
Born in France, Kounde spent time at the academies of Landiras, Cerons and La Brede before joining Bordeaux’s youth system. He made his senior bow in the 2017/18 campaign and went on to make 70 appearances for the club before joining Sevilla in a £22m deal last summer.
Since his arrival in Spain, he has established himself as one of the best young defenders in La Liga and was impressive for the Andalusian outfit last season. He made 40 appearances last season, helping them finish in the top four and also lift the Europa League (source – Transfermarkt).
The youngster is a part of the France U-21’s and has made 4 appearances so far, scoring once.
Manchester United’s defence is shambolic and that is putting it lightly. It seems like they can’t figure out a solution to their defensive problems. They have spent on players like Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire. Yet, they look like a bunch of Sunday league defenders.
All this was highlighted even further with Tottenham taking their entire defence to the cleaners. They put 6 goals past them as Harry Maguire and his partners looked on. It was evident from last season that United needed another quality centre-back. But no signing was made in the summer.
Jules Kounde looks like a player who can solve those issues for United. He is a young, agile and a strong defender. His age suits the club’s criteria of signings and would be a long-term solution for their problems if he gets going. An instrumental part of Sevilla’s Europa League triumph last season, he has the winning mentality that United could use.
Kounde could be a very useful addition for the Red Devils as they attempt to sort out their defence. His mobility would complement well with Maguire’s style of play. He can cover long distances with ease, thereby being able to put in the last ditch tackle if the defence is caught out of position.
