Barcelona made headlines at the end of last July when they hi-jacked Chelsea’s deal to sign Jules Kounde and announced the signing of the Sevilla starlet.
However, we are almost approaching a month after Kounde’s transfer announcement, but the player is yet to be even registered in the Barcelona squad.
Kounde was the only player not to be registered prior to Barça’s opening game against Rayo Vallecano last weekend. It appears the defender will not be taking part in La Liga anytime soon either, as he has been once again excluded from the squad against Real Sociedad.
According to Diario SPORT, the entire ordeal is starting to worry Kounde. The young Frenchman is frustrated with his situation and wants to make his return to the pitch as soon as possible.
The Barcelona bosses have calmed the defender, suggesting his registration will be prioritised in the coming week. It appears the club have sought out economic plans to generate the €22 million required to sign the Frenchman by the end of the month.
One would expect the departures of Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to play a key role in helping Barcelona bring in the desired revenue.
Depay has been closely linked with a move to Juventus, with his representative reportedly in Italy to churn out a final agreement whereas Aubameyang has become a subject of Chelsea’s interest, with Thomas Tuchel eyeing a reunion at Stamford Bridge.
The departure of these two strikers should be enough for Barcelona to register Kounde. However, his participation in the third game against Real Valladolid remains a doubt, as the paperwork relating to the departures as well as the registration could take time.
A lot will depend on how quickly Barça can sanction the exit of Depay and Aubameyang in the coming days.
