Liverpool plotting €80m move for Barcelona defender Jules Kounde

Liverpool are ready to test Barcelona’s resolve with an €80 million bid for Jules Kounde next summer, Mundo Deportivo reports, as the Reds scramble to solve an injury-ravaged right-back department.

The Merseysiders have already committed £60 million to Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet for 2025-26, but further reinforcements are now deemed essential. Jeremie Frimpong’s maiden campaign has been repeatedly interrupted by fitness setbacks, Conor Bradley is expected to miss the rest of the current season after knee surgery, and emergency stand-in Wataru Endo was stretchered off with a serious ankle injury during Wednesday’s clash with Sunderland.

Kounde, a 27-year-old French international, has redefined himself as an elite right-back since arriving at Camp Nou, despite arriving as a centre-back. He was a key figure in Barcelona’s domestic treble last term, memorably striking the winner against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final. This season has brought a dip in output—three goals and two assists in 35 games—and patchy form has invited scrutiny from supporters and pundits alike.

Barcelona, however, retain leverage: Kounde’s contract runs to 2031 and the club will not entertain anything below the €80 million marker. Such a windfall would ease the club’s ongoing financial strain and allow them to operate under La Liga’s 1:1 spending rule without restriction. Eric Garcia and Joao Cancelo provide cover at right-back, while 19-year-old Hector Fort is impressing on loan at Elche and is scheduled to return ahead of next season.

For Liverpool, the equation is simple—pay the premium or risk another campaign of instability on the flank.