PSG Targets Kounde as Barcelona Changes Stance
Paris Saint-Germain have set their sights on Jules Kounde, and this time the move is being driven from the very top.
According to reports from Spain and France, the Barcelona defender has become a specific target requested by Luis Enrique, with PSG looking to exploit their ongoing talks for Ferran Torres to launch a double raid on the Camp Nou. The champions of France sense an opening – and they are moving quickly.
Enrique’s blueprint: Kounde at the heart of PSG
Kounde is not being lined up as a utility option or a stopgap. Enrique and his staff see him in the role that first made his name: a central defender, not the hybrid right-back he has often been in Catalonia.
The plan is clear. PSG want Kounde back in his homeland, installed as a fixed presence in the middle of their defence, with guaranteed minutes and a defined status in the squad. No more shuffling out to the flank, no more tactical compromises. A cornerstone, not a patch.
This is not just a coach’s whim. RMC Sport report that president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is personally leading the pursuit, intent on placing one of France’s most versatile defenders under Enrique’s command. When the president steps in, it usually signals a priority move rather than a speculative enquiry.
Another raid on Barcelona
PSG know this road well. They have already prised Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi away from Barcelona in recent years, and there is a belief in Paris that the club can once again tempt a key player out of a financially strained Camp Nou.
The strategy is simple: use the existing negotiations for Ferran Torres as a bridge. With both clubs already in open dialogue over the forward, PSG intend to fold Kounde into those talks and present a joint proposal. One negotiation table, two high-profile targets.
For Kounde, the pitch is straightforward: a return to France, a central role, and the promise of consistency in a team built to dominate domestically and push deep into Europe.
Barcelona’s stance shifts
Twelve months ago, Kounde was closer to “untouchable” than “available”. That has changed.
After an irregular season under Hansi Flick, the defender is no longer ring-fenced within the first-team squad. His place at right-back faces direct competition from Eric Garcia and the continued presence of Joao Cancelo, a combination that threatens to sharply reduce his minutes on the flank next season.
Inside the club, the mood has cooled. President Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco know the €70 million offers they turned down last year are not coming back. The market has moved, and so have Barcelona’s needs.
Now the calculation is different. A strong but realistic bid for Kounde would not only bring in a fee; it would also ease a wage bill that continues to suffocate their room for manoeuvre. The same logic applies to Torres. Both players are viewed as saleable assets who can unlock financial breathing space before the window closes.
The decisive meeting
The next key moment is already on the calendar. PSG representatives are scheduled to sit down with Barcelona’s sporting direction in the second week of August. The aim is not to talk in general terms or float ideas. Paris want to put a concrete, initial joint offer on the table for Kounde and Torres, and they want it done before the new Ligue 1 campaign kicks off.
For PSG, landing Kounde would complete a familiar pattern: identify a vulnerable giant, find the fault lines, and walk away with a headline signing. For Barcelona, the question is harsher.
How many pillars can they afford to remove before the structure starts to sway?
