Liverpool in aggressive fight with Chelsea for £300k per week Barcelona star

Liverpool are bracing for a summer overhaul of their defensive ranks and have zeroed in on Barcelona’s Jules Kounde as the multi-functional solution to Arne Slot’s deepening crisis at centre-back and right-back. The 27-year-old France international, who earns £300,000 a week at the Camp Nou, has emerged as the prime target after Barca signalled a willingness to cash in for a fee that could climb to £70 million.

The Premier League champions face stiff competition. Caught Offside reports that Chelsea are preparing an “aggressive” push for Kounde, while Manchester City are also monitoring developments. Yet sources close to the negotiations insist Liverpool are “right there” in the race and could yet hijack the deal if they match Barcelona’s valuation.

Liverpool’s urgency is fuelled by an increasingly threadbare back line. Ibrahima Konate could walk away on a free transfer when his contract expires, and the club remain unconvinced that teenage prospects Jeremy Jacquet or Giovanni Leoni are ready for full-time duty. Joe Gomez, out of contract in 2027, may be sold this summer to avoid the same fate, further stripping experience from the squad.

Injuries have compounded the problem. Conor Bradley and new signing Jeremie Frimpong have both spent spells on the sidelines, forcing Slot to deploy Dominik Szoboszlai as an auxiliary right-back and blunt the midfield’s creativity. Sporting director Richard Hughes has been tasked with reinforcing both right-back and centre-back slots in a single window, and Kounde’s capacity to operate seamlessly across the defensive line makes him the ideal, if expensive, fix.

Barcelona signed Kounde from Sevilla in 2022 and have leaned on him heavily, but a reduced role this season has convinced the Catalans to entertain offers. The Frenchman’s representatives have already indicated wage demands of £300,000 a week, a package that would make him one of the highest-paid defenders in English football.

Liverpool’s pursuit is further complicated by their failure to land Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi last summer and Leoni’s anterior-cruciate-ligament setback. January acquisitions of Jacquet, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye are viewed as long-term projects rather than immediate starters. With the Trent Alexander-Arnold succession plan yet to bear fruit, Slot views Kounde as a rare chance to secure two positions with one elite recruit—provided the club can outmuscle Chelsea’s impending offensive and meet Barcelona’s steep asking price.

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