Arsenal 'willing' to pay fee to sign £65m-rated La Liga ace as Chelsea 'monitor' situation

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brentford at home over the weekend. Midfielder Thomas Partey scored for them against the Bees before Yoane Wissa equalised at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners remain 2nd in the Premier League table behind Liverpool.

As for Chelsea, they are positioned in 6th place in the league. Enzo Maresca’s side are battling it out for a Champions League spot. They drew 2-2 at home to Ipswich Town last time out and weren’t able to find a winner at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal and Chelsea eye Jules Kounde swoop

According to Fichajes, Arsenal and Chelsea are in a ‘battle’ for Barcelona defender Jules Kounde. The report adds that the player has a price tag of £65million with Arsenal willing to pay it while Chelsea monitor the situation. The player is facing an uncertain future in La Liga at this moment in time and may move on for a new challenge this summer.

Kounde, 26, is under contract until June 2027 meaning his current club are under no pressure to sell him just yet and can wait for the right offer to come in for his services. He has made 49 appearances in all competitions in this campaign, 31 of which have come in the league, and he has chipped in with three goals and eight assists from the back. Barca remain in the Champions League along with the Gunners.

Arteta could see the France international as someone to boost his defensive ranks ahead of the next campaign. However, his team would have to see off competition from their London rivals Chelsea if they were to get him. The Blues have the opportunity to bring in some new players later this year as Maresca gears up for his second term in charge.

Would Jules Kounde suit Arsenal and Chelsea?

Kounde has played at the top level for the past few years and would be ideal for either Arsenal and Chelsea. He can play at either right-back or centre-back which is useful. He has also played over 350 games in his career to date so is an experienced operator.

The Paris-born man started his career at Bordeaux and broke into their first-team. Seville lured him to Spain in 2019 and he spent three years there before catching the eye of Barcelona. He has since played a total of 137 matches for Barca and has scored six times.

Arsenal boss Arteta was frustrated with their lack of activity in January and the pressure is on their hierarchy to be more active this summer. He said this past winter: "We had a clear intention which is always when a window opens to explore the opportunities to improve our squad with players that can make an impact.

“With players injured, we've been impacted and we haven't achieved it. We are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kinds of players and we have to be very disciplined with that as well. I think that we were. It's in the profile, a player that we believe can make us much better. Financially there is a lot of ways, a lot of things that we must stay in the lane that has taken us this far and from there try to improve."