According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, the German record champions are monitoring the situation of the French defender. There were already loose rumours in Spain over the summer about Bayern Munich's interest in Kounde, but Sky, among others, denied them.
Now the situation is different. The German record champions see him as a potential replacement for Min-Jae Kim if the centre-back leaves the club in winter or summer. Rumours continue to link the South Korean with a return to Serie A or a move to the Premier League. AC Milan and Aston Villa in particular are said to be interested.
Still, Kim's departure in winter looks unlikely. The 29-year-old is said to have already turned down several lucrative offers last summer because he feels very comfortable on the Isar and is not fundamentally unhappy with his role in coach Vincent Kompany's team either. Behind Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano, effectively only the number three centre-back in the internal pecking order, Kim has already started four times in the still young season and has impressed with strong performances.
Who is playing in place of Jules Kounde at Barca?
For Kounde, though, the picture is very different. Under coach Hansi Flick, the Frenchman now plays only a subordinate role, most recently spending three straight matches on the bench for the full 90 minutes. Overall, he has made the starting line-up only twice in eight games for the Blaugrana. Eric Garcia, also a natural centre-back, has moved ahead of the 27-year-old at right-back.
Flick's decision to drop Kounde does not appear to be a knee-jerk reaction, but part of a plan the former Germany coach had been weighing up for some time. That is at least what Garcia's recent comments to radio station SER Catalunya suggest: "This year Flick already warned me in advance that I would play more often as a full-back." On top of that, Kounde is reportedly said not to have returned particularly fit from the World Cup, which, as in the previous season, he had played for Barca as France's first-choice right-back.
Even so, Kounde's flexibility in defence gives him a player profile that should open up a large market for him. Bayern also admire that, according to the report by Sport. He remains under contract at Barca until 2030.
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