Ten days left, and a coach who would not say no
The question put to Hansi Flick on Saturday was simple enough. Will Jules Kounde still be a Barcelona player when the window shuts? Before the trip to Elche, the German gave an answer that closed nothing.
“On this matter, we are making a lot of changes. We have to wait until the transfer window closes. These are the kind of situations that happen when you want to strengthen the squad. I have been clear with the player, now we just have to wait.”
Coaches who intend to keep a player say so. Flick did not.
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A year ago nobody would have asked the question
Kounde belonged to the small group Barcelona simply did not discuss. Calls about him went unanswered. One flat season later, that protection has gone.
His position has moved too. With Ronald Araujo gone, the France defender has slid inside to centre-back, the role he filled at Sevilla before Barcelona bought him in 2022 and parked him at right-back. Useful flexibility, in theory. In practice it means he is no longer built into any single plan, and players who float between roles are easier to sell than players who anchor one.
Fifty million euros of balance-sheet relief
Foot Mercato report that several of Europe’s bigger clubs have registered an interest. No bids, no public approaches, just enough movement for Barcelona to keep every door propped open.
Then there is Catalonia’s permanent problem. Barcelona have spent three summers wrestling with wage limits and registration rules, and a 27-year-old France international who cost roughly 50 million euros is precisely the kind of sale that fixes a spreadsheet without gutting the starting eleven.
Flick said he had been clear with his player. He never said what he told him.
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