Barcelona beat Chelsea to the signing of Jules Kounde

Barca are set to spend even more money this summer

Barcelona have confirmed an agreement has been reached with Sevilla for the signing of Jules Kounde, subject to the player passing a medical. Barca will pay a reported fee of €50m (£41.85m) for the 23-year-old. The France international had been a transfer target for Chelsea, who are looking to bolster their options in the centre of defence. Kounde joined Sevilla from Bordeaux in 2019 and has since made 133 appearances for the La Liga side. He has also established himself in his national side and is expected to be part of their World Cup squad in Qatar later this year. https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1552697030581141510 His arrival - should all go through as planned - will see him follow Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha to the the Camp Nou this summer, taking Barca's summer spending comfortably above £100m for the summer. Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have also joined the club as manager Xavi looks to craft a new-look side. Some reports have suggested, however, that the club may struggle to register some of their new signings due to their precarious financial situation. For this reason, Frenkie de Jong continues to be linked with a move away, despite apparently being reluctant to depart the club. The Dutch midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United, whose new manager Erik ten Hag knows him well from their time together at Ajax. Related links:

• Barcelona accused of ‘extorting’ Frenkie de Jong after Manchester United bid
• Frenkie De Jong should consider legal action against Barcelona, Gary Neville claims
• Barcelona ease financial concerns by selling further 15% of TV rights