Barcelona star rejects Man City transfer as key reason named

James Holland 02 Mar 2025 3:15 PM

Man City boss Pep Guardiola and Barcelona star Jules Kounde

Man City have failed to land Jules Kounde

Manchester City have attempted to sign Jules Kounde but the Barcelona star has refused to enter negotiations with them, it has been claimed.

Kounde was heavily linked with a Premier League move previously, in summer 2022. The defender – who can play as a centre-half or right-back – emerged as a priority target for Chelsea after becoming a key player for Sevilla.

However, Kounde snubbed Chelsea’s advances as he wanted to join Barcelona instead, and the Catalan giants went on to sign him in a €55million deal.

It seems Man City have now suffered a similar fate to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Catalan source El Nacional claims that City chiefs recently made an approach to see if they could land Kounde this summer.

The Citizens were even drawing up an offer to try and tempt Barca into a sale.

But City’s pursuit was stopped in its tracks when the France star made clear his desire to stay at Barca.

City’s bid was subsequently scrapped and they have now been forced to prioritise different targets for the right-back position.

The report states that City’s poor season is the main reason Kounde has decided not to join them.

Pep Guardiola’s side may have got themselves back in the mix for Champions League qualification, but they are not the dominant force they were in previous seasons and endured a terrible spell between late October and Boxing Day.

Kounde targets new Barcelona deal

Kounde is committed to Barca and is not seeking more money by heading to the Premier League. Instead, the 26-year-old is hoping to be rewarded with a new contract at Barca, with his current deal due to expire in June 2027.

Kounde is fully behind Hansi Flick and feels Barca’s project can lead them to major trophies over the coming seasons, including this one.

Barca are rivalling Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid for the Spanish title, have reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and are through to the Champions League last-16. They beat Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, too.

City, meanwhile, will now look to ramp up their interest in alternative right-backs as they hunt Kyle Walker’s replacement.

Two options include Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso and Newcastle United star Tino Livramento.