Jules Kounde reveals why he chose Barcelona in first interview since snubbing Chelsea
- Seb Sternik
- 29 July 2022
French international Jules Kounde has spoken about his £40million move from Sevilla to FC Barcelona.
The 23-year-old was expected to join Chelsea earlier in the transfer window, only for the La Liga giants to swoop in before the deal was completed.
Kounde is now set to join Barcelona after the club agreed a transfer fee with Sevilla.
In his first interview with Barca TV, the player said: "I'm very proud and thankful for this opportunity. I'm very excited because I'm arriving at a great club and a great team.
"I'm really looking forward to start playing with the team, getting to know my teammates and giving it my best effort.
"Sevilla is a great club of course, but I think that Barca are the next step in my career at every level - personally and in terms of football. I'm very excited about this.
"I want to compete in every competition, to win it. I'm going to try and win as much as possible in terms of trophies and games. That's why I'm here."
Kounde spent three seasons at Sevilla where he made 133 competitive appearances and scored nine goals along the way.
The defender also helped the team to a Europa League title during the 2019/20 campaign.
Kounde is also a French international and helped the Les Bleus to a UEFA Nations League crown in 2020/21. He has made 11 appearances for France since his debut in 2021.
In his interview, the player also revealed that manager Xavi Hernandez played a big part in his transfer.
He added: "The coach Xavi is one of the great reasons why I'm here. I've spoken to him several times. The way he spoke was captivating. We had good conversations, we see football in the same way.
"Now it's a question of coming into the team, doing my best, having as many minutes as possible, settle into the team and having an important role."
