Arsenal are reportedly keeping tabs on Sevilla star Jules Kounde, who was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea during the summer transfer window.
The Blues failed in their efforts to sign the Frenchman, 22, in the summer transfer window as Thomas Tuchel pushed for his signature to improve his already defensive options.
Having sold Kurt Zouma to West Ham, the European champions are set to try for the Sevilla defender again when the transfer window re-opens in January.
According to TransferMarketWeb, Arsenal are among a few clubs to have been alerted to the possibility of Jules Kounde parting ways with Sevilla at the end of 2021/22 season.
Kounde has been a smashing success for Sevilla since arriving from Ligue 1 club Bordeaux in the summer of 2019. Over the last two years, the central defender has enjoyed a meteoric rise in stock while also breaking into the French national side.
So far, the young Frenchman has made 92 appearances for the Rojiblancos, chipping in with six goals.
Jules Kounde to Arsenal—A top addition to the Gunners squad?
Arsenal were the biggest spenders in the summer transfer window, coughing up a club-record £142 million on six new faces. However, they haven’t made an ideal start to the new Premier League campaign. While they won over the weekend against Norwich City after three straight losses, Mikel Arteta still has a lot of holes to address in his squad.
Interestingly, one of those is the defence, despite spending a combined £66 million on Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the summer. Both White and Tomiyasu are still finding their feet at the Emirates Stadium and they could go on to have great careers in the future.
But nine goals conceded in the first four games of the season is simply poor from the Gunners’ standards and Arteta may need to spend big again to bolster his defensive unit. Truly, the north London outfit’s backline lacks a genuine leader, someone who can form a strong understanding with White and lead the troops.
To that end, Jules Kounde could be a smart fit at the Emirates Stadium. The 22-year-old has become a pillar of strength in the Sevilla backline, impressing with his ball-playing ability, tackling and interception skills and leadership qualities. The France international isn’t the tallest of defenders but he never lacks behind from going toe-to-toe with strong, physically intimidating forwards.
The Paris-born star is also comfortable playing at right-back, and such versatility will only appeal to the Gunners manager. Despite his young age, Kounde has played a total of 160 games in his club career, including 70 for his former club Bordeaux, and is not short of experience.
There is no doubt that Arsenal’s major issue so far this season has been their defence and Kounde would be a top option to consider for fixing it. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the north London giants will meet the French centre-back’s €80 million valuation, which also happens to be his release clause.