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The France and Sevilla defender was the subject of transfer interest from Manchester City over the summer, who saw their £45m bid for the 22-year-old rejected by Los Palanganas.
Jules Kounde, who is on the transfer radar of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, would like to move to Santiago Bernabeu upon leaving Sevilla, reports Don Balon.
The 22-year-old centre-back was an integral part of the Sevilla side that lifted the Europa League trophy last season. His young age further makes him an appetizing option for any club willing to meet his €60m release clause, given that Kounde is only expected to improve in the coming years.
Ronald Koeman’s side would like to have the Frenchman on their books, more so now after the injury suffered by Gerard Pique ruled the 33-year-old for a few months. The poor injury history of Samuel Umtiti, who is likely to leave in January, may give Barca another reason to pursue Kounde’s signing.
However, despite the lure of playing time that would come his way provided he chose to move to Barcelona, Kounde is reportedly in awe of his countrymate Zinedine Zidane and would like to play underneath the French manager once his time in Seville comes to an end.
Paul Pogba might be a part of Manchester United’s squad for their Champions League clash with Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old midfielder missed his side’s 1-0 victory over West Brom at the weekend due to a knock he sustained while on international duty. He was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Red Devils had to rely on a Bruno Fernandes’ penalty to eke out a victory over the winless Baggies.
However, Pogba is back in contention for United’s crunch Champions League tie with the reigning Turkish champions on Tuesday night, who defeated the Red Devils when both these sides met each other in their last European outing before the recently concluded international break.
Aside from giving an injury update on Pogba, who Solskjaer revealed in his pre-match press conference ‘trained on [Monday] morning’, the Norwegian manager also provided an update on Jesse Lingard who he said is self-isolating after being in contact with a person who has coronavirus.
Pep Guardiola, who recently signed a two-year extension to his existing deal with Manchester City, is reportedly a huge admirer of the Aston Villa captain.
Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City to complete the signing of Jack Grealish in the upcoming transfer windows, according to The Independent.
The report further adds that the Spanish manager discussed potential signings in detail when negotiating a contract extension with the Etihad outfit, which he signed last week. He is reportedly aware of the need to overhaul his side to ensure they stay competitive over the coming seasons.
Grealish, 25, has been a key part of Dean Smith’s side since they recovered their Premier League status at the start of last season. He has scored 12 English top-flight goals over the last two seasons, with four of them coming in only 7 appearances in the ongoing campaign.
The England international’s appeal isn’t limited to goals scored, though, as evidenced by the five assists he has provided to his teammates already this season. But any club hoping to sign the central midfielder would have to pay big bucks as Villa reportedly rate their captain at an astronomical £80m.
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