Liverpool Eyes Jules Kounde as Key Transfer Target
Liverpool’s work in this transfer window is clearly not finished – especially across the backline – and Barcelona could once again hold the key.
The market is entering its chaotic final stretch. Prices wobble, plans change, and players who looked untouchable a month ago suddenly become available. Liverpool has already cashed in on that turbulence once.
Ronald Araujo’s arrival from Barcelona was exactly that: an opportunity that simply didn’t exist earlier in the summer. Hansi Flick made it brutally clear to the Uruguayan that he did not feature in his plans for the new season. Araujo, who had been prepared to stay at the Nou Camp for the long haul, had to rip up his script.
He chose a new challenge. Liverpool moved quickly. A loan for the rest of the season was pushed through at speed.
For Liverpool, it plugs a glaring hole. Centre-back has been a problem position, and Araujo gives Andoni Iraola a powerful, aggressive defender who can also shuffle across to right-back when needed.
But that last part is the issue. When needed.
Right-back has turned into a nagging headache. Conor Bradley’s long-term injury, combined with recurring fitness problems for Jeremie Frimpong, has left the flank exposed and the depth chart unconvincing. Araujo can help there, but he is not a specialist solution and certainly not a long-term one.
So attention drifts back to Barcelona.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Jules Kounde could emerge as another late-window option. Liverpool is named among the clubs keeping a close eye on the situation, with Manchester City and Arsenal also in the frame.
Kounde ticks a lot of boxes. A France international, 27 years old, he operates primarily at right-back but is equally comfortable stepping inside to centre-back. That kind of flexibility is gold for a squad trying to balance short-term cover with long-term planning.
Since joining from Sevilla, Kounde has been heavily used at Barcelona, racking up 188 appearances for the Blaugrana and becoming a regular under Flick. His game fits the demands of a high-pressing, front-foot style – the very sort of system Iraola wants to impose at Anfield.
Flick’s assessment of him earlier this year was telling.
“Jules is a fighter,” the Barcelona coach said. “He’s always focused. We’re all human, and sometimes you don’t have your best day, but he’s always fighting. Even when things don’t start well. I appreciate what he’s doing. He has a top-notch mentality.”
That mentality is exactly what Liverpool has been trying to recruit: technically strong, tactically intelligent, and mentally relentless.
Whether Liverpool turns that admiration into a concrete move is another matter. The club still has other areas to address before committing serious funds to right-back, and any deal for Kounde would be complex, with heavyweight Premier League rivals circling.
But as the window’s clock starts to race, one question lingers over Anfield: after one bold raid on Barcelona, will Liverpool dare to launch a second?
