Chelsea is apparently ready to pay €150 million for Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo, two versatile Barcelona defenders.
A story from the Spanish news site Fichajes says that Chelsea is interested in Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo. The Blues want to improve their defense next year and have their sights set on the capable Barcelona defenders. A big club in the Premier League is willing to pay €150 million to get both of them in 2025.
Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, and their time at Barcelona
During their time with Barcelona, Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo have been two of the best players in the sport. The second player has been with the Catalan team for six years and has been a regular at the back for them for the last few years.
He has played 150 times for Barcelona so far and has scored eight goals and set up five others. He is 25 years old. Kounde, a French player, has been with the Catalan team since July 2022, when he moved there from Sevilla. In the last two years, he has gotten better and better. He is great as both a right back and a center back.
The French player has played more than 100 times for Barcelona so far and has helped score four goals and set up fourteen others. The market is very interested in both Kounde and his Barcelona teammate, who has also made a lot of progress in the last two years. Chelsea is one of the teams he might try to sign for the two flexible defenders.
Calling from London?
It makes sense for Chelsea to be interested in Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo. There will be two transfer windows next year, and the Blues are looking for a center back and a right back. Kounde can be Chelsea’s long-term right back option since Reece James is still having health problems.
As for Araujo, since Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile’s futures at Stamford Bridge are unclear, the Uruguayan international can play with Levi Colwill in the middle of defense for a long time. As of today, it has been said that Chelsea is ready to pay €150 million to get both players next year.
Since Barcelona is having money problems, getting back €150 million from the sale of Araujo and Kounde to Chelsea might be a good idea. But the two defenders are at a higher level and could get a bigger combined fee.