Barcelona to follow up Robert Lewandowski signing from Bayern Munich with Jules Kounde bid - Paper Round

Barcelona are ready to follow up the signing of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich with Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde. Spanish media outlet Marca report that the French defender is now Barca’s “top priority” as Xavi looks to improve his backline. Sevilla are ready to demand at least €60 million for Kounde and the club know they can spark a bidding war for the 23-year-old. Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City are also interested in the possibility of signing Kounde, which could raise his transfer fee.

Paper Round’s view: Where is this money coming from? Barcelona’s financial problems are quite well-known, yet they have managed to spend huge fees on Ferran Torres and Raphinha over the past 12 months. Lewandowski is set to follow them to the Camp Nou – and now it seems like Kounde could be joining too. The Frenchman would obviously be a brilliant signing if Barca manage to find the funds and beat their rivals to his signature. It would represent a new era in their defence alongside new signing Andreas Christensen.

Juventus have put together a four-man transfer shortlist in a bid to replace the outgoing Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch defender is set to join Bayern Munich for a huge fee, which could reach €80 million, including add-on clauses. Juve are eyeing up Pau Torres, Nikola Milenkovic, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gleison Bremer. However, Goal reveal that Torres is not viewed as a “priority for club management”, while Bremer might be a long shot as he is closing in on a move to Juventus’ Serie A rivals Inter Milan.

Paper Round’s view: De Ligt never seemed to live up to expectation during his years at Juventus. The club had defensive stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci at centre-back too, which were probably ideal for De Ligt to learn from, but made it tough for him to move into the dominant leadership role he previously had at Ajax. Juve seem happy to sell him for a huge fee and shift his significant salary to Bayern Munich. It will be interesting to see who they bring in as a replacement. Top-level centre-backs are tough to come by at the moment, but the names on their shortlist would be solid replacements.

Manchester City are ready to accelerate their attempts to sign Marc Cucurella from Brighton, with Oleksandr Zinchenko expected to join Arsenal. The Ukraine international looks likely to leave the Premier League champions for around £30 million, which would make a new left-back “the only priority” for Pep Guardiola’s side. Brighton are expected to demand around £50 million for Cucurella, who only joined the Seagulls from Getafe last summer. The Sun reveal that Manchester City may be “reluctant” to meet Brighton’s asking price, so could end up switching transfer targets.

Paper Round’s view: It’s been quite the summer of change at the Etihad Stadium. Obviously, Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega have joined. However, we’ve seen the likes of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and club captain Fernandinho leave. Zinchenko is expected to be the next exit, while Nathan Ake has also been linked with a return to Chelsea. It’s an interesting situation, and although the new signings are promising, it is a lot of change for the defending Premier League champions. Cucurella would be an exciting addition, but it is a lot of money to pay for a player who is expected to be deputising for Joao Cancelo.

Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn has admitted that the German champions are fond of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane. The 28-year-old was linked with a move away from north London last summer, but eventually ended up staying put – despite interest from Manchester City. The Standard state Kane is open to discussions with Spurs over a new contract, but Kahn revealed Bayern’s interest by stating “he is an absolute top striker, but that's all a dream of the future”, then ending with “let's see what happens”. Bayern will be in the market for a new striker as Lewandowski is on the way to Barcelona.

Paper Round’s view: Kane would be the ideal replacement for Lewandowski, but it’s unlikely that Tottenham would be willing to sell him this summer. The Premier League club have a genuine chance of finally clinching some silverware under the management of serial winner Antonio Conte. Kane should probably stay for one more year before re-assessing his future. Any new contract talks should involve a release clause too. He won’t want to be in the same situation as last summer if he decides he wants to leave again in the future.