Kounde reacts to missing out on Man City move as Sevilla shut exit door

Jules Kounde claims to have no regrets at having seen a potential move to Manchester City pass him by during the summer transfer window.

The highly-rated defender was among those targeted by Pep Guardiola as City sought to bolster their backline.

A formal approach was made for Kounde, but Sevilla knocked that back as they had no desire to part with a prized asset.

The Liga club’s sporting director, Monchi, said at the time: “I doubt that Kounde has an agreement with Man City because he has a contract with us. It's true, in the last days we received an offer from a club to sign Kounde, he heard about it and we rejected it.

“If they make another offer, we will listen to them again and we will answer but only we can choose when we will answer them.”

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City did not return to the table as they started to head down other avenues.

Ruben Dias was eventually prised away from Benfica in a club-record £62 million ($80m) deal, with Guardiola finally landing another centre-half option for the present and future.

Kounde could have been that man, but the 21-year-old Frenchman is happy to still be in Spain.

He told Canal Plus when quizzed on the interest he generated and the positive steps he is taking in his career: “It's part of my progression and I'm doing whatever it takes to make it happen.

“I was obviously happy [with City's interest]. It would have been a good opportunity, but I'm in Seville and I'm very happy there."

Kounde’s agent, Jonathan Kebe, has already revealed that his client was happy to bow to Sevilla’s wishes and not push for a move once City made it clear that they were keen on doing a deal.

He said: “Any footballer likes to talk about his game. Of course, it is a compliment that a club as important as Manchester City is interested in you.

“But Kounde is a different boy in some ways. Despite his age, he’s a very mature person, who knows that the only thing that should concern him is day to day.

“Pressure Sevilla to have gone to Manchester City? No, no. We don’t even talk about it. There was an offer, the club studied it, said ‘no’, and that’s it. There’s no more.

“We will never leave if Sevilla doesn’t want us to. Sometimes a player’s future depends on three parties, the footballer himself, the club who wants to buy, and, of course, the club he’s owned by. There is Sevilla.”