Barcelona will need to raise €20m (£17m) in order to register summer signing Jules Kounde in time for their upcoming match, according to a report.
The 23-year-old moved to Camp Nou from Sevilla on July 29 for a cost of roughly €50m (£42.25m), signing a five-year contract.
However, due to Barcelona’s well-documented financial difficulties, the club are presently unable to register Kounde, who has missed their first two La Liga matches of the new season.
Summer signings Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski have all been signed up, but Kounde is yet to make his competitive debut.
According to AS, Barcelona will need to raise £17m before the transfer market closes on September 1.
Barcelona have failed to register summer signing Jules Kounde in time for Sunday’s LaLiga game against Real Sociedad. pic.twitter.com/8ogHkqvskv
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 21, 2022
See Also: Barcelona: Lewandowski Score Brace In Win Over Real Sociedad
Barcelona To Offload Aubameyang, Depay, Umtiti, Dest And Braithwaite
As per the report, Barcelona is trying to sell up to five players, including striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Catalan giants are said to be in advanced talks with Chelsea over a permanent deal for the 33-year-old, who joined Camp Nou on a free transfer from Arsenal in January.
According to a recent source, both Barcelona and Chelsea are discussing a fee of between £15m and £25m, with the latter hoping to include Marcos Alonso in a player-plus-cash deal, while the former would prefer to get a straight cash payment.
Memphis Depay is another forward who might leave this summer, with Serie A giants Juventus showing interest in the 28-year-old.
Xavi intimated at a press conference before Barcelona’s 4-1 away win at Real Sociedad on Sunday that Aubameyang and Depay are among a number of players who could leave the club in the remaining 10 days of the transfer season.
“The transfer market ends on [September 1] and we don’t know what will happen. Auba and Memphis are still here, so tomorrow we will use them. But the priority is to register Kounde,” Xavi stated to reporters.
Braithwaite, 31, has been linked with a move to Mallorca, while Dest, 21, has previously been connected with Manchester United and Chelsea.
“It doesn’t bother me that players don’t want to leave, everyone looks to their future; it bothers me not being able to have Kounde,” Xavi continued.
“Kounde is a great leader and a great player. Hopefully he shows it soon. He has trained very well, I see him in good spirits, but we need to sell players to be able to register him.”
Barcelona will play Manchester City in a charity friendly at Camp Nou on Wednesday before returning to La Liga action on Sunday against Real Valladolid.
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