Man United now very interested in signing £42m Barcelona player who praised Marcus Rashford

Man United now very interested in signing £42m Barcelona player who praised Marcus Rashford

Manchester United are now being linked with a move to sign Barcelona defender Jules Kounde at the end of the season.

United look set to miss out on Champions League qualification barring a major run of form to end the season

Many supporters are already looking towards the summer transfer window with new signings needed.

Ineos will be looking to fund some major additions to the squad and a centre back will surely be wanted.

Raphael Varane’s injury record is a major problem and it’s difficult to see Harry Maguire as the long-term answer next to Lisandro Martinez.

Finding another centre back is bound to be a priority and an interesting name is now being brought up…

Jules Kounde to Manchester United transfer links
Catalan newspaper SPORT now report that United are ‘very, very interested’ in signing Barcelona defender Jules Kounde.

Barca need to make some big sales this summer and Kounde may be one player on the chopping block after a mixed season.

Kounde’s priority is to stay at Barcelona, but he also wants to play as a centre back rather than as a right back.

Kounde has almost exactly split his time between the two roles since joining Barca from Sevilla for £42million in 2022.

The lure of playing as a centre back elsewhere may well appeal to Kounde and United are thought to have joined Chelsea in the race for his signature.

One concern is that Kounde is only 5ft 11in, meaning pairing him with Martinez would give United a very small centre back pairing.

Still, Kounde is so quick and so good on the ball that United may still make the move and offer the Frenchman an escape route.

Manchester United v FC Barcelona: Knockout Round Play-Off Leg Two – UEFA Europa League

Kounde on Marcus Rashford
Kounde still has bags of untapped potential at 25 and United may believe that he can get back on track at Old Trafford.

A move would also see Kounde join forces with Marcus Rashford, a player he has previously praised.

Kounde stated in 2023 that Rashford is ‘very difficult to stop’, picking him out as United’s most dangerous player.

Neither Kounde nor Rashford have really built on fine campaigns last season and need next season to be much better.

Who knows, maybe Kounde will now end up joining Rashford at Old Trafford in an attempt to move United forward in the new Ineos era