Liverpool rival Chelsea for potential transfer of €60m La Liga star | OneFootball

Liverpool are reportedly showing an interest in the potential transfer of Barcelona defender Jules Kounde ahead of January, while the Frenchman was also recently linked with Chelsea.

Kounde has been a key player for Barcelona, showing great quality at either centre-back or right-back, and it’s easy to see why big names like Liverpool and Chelsea might be interested in him.

Liverpool are said to be looking at Kounde as Barca may replace him with Sevilla centre-back Loic Bade, according to Fichajes, while Chelsea were recently mentioned as suitors in a potential €60m deal by Sport.

Liverpool have also been linked with Bade in recent times, so that could be a saga to watch out for, but perhaps if Barcelona are stepping up their pursuit of the Sevilla defender, then that could free up the Reds to try moving for Kounde as a very acceptable Plan B option.

Jules Kounde has been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Jules Kounde transfer: Will Liverpool sign Barca star to replace Virgil van Dijk?

There is definitely a need for a top defensive signing at Anfield at the moment, with Virgil van Dijk nearing the end of his Liverpool contract, potentially making him a free agent next summer unless he agrees a new deal in the next few months.

Kounde could be ideal to replace Van Dijk, while Bade would be another fine option for the club to consider, but we’ll have to see if Barcelona are definitely prepared to sell.

There seems little need for the Catalan giants to let someone like Kounde go, though perhaps they’ll feel Bade’s availability makes him a tempting replacement that they can’t miss out on.

Chelsea, meanwhile, could also do well to add Kounde to their squad as he’d surely be an upgrade on Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi in central defence, while his ability to play right-back could also be useful due to Reece James having so many problems with injuries in recent years.