Xavi Criticizes Kounde Chelsea, Man Utd Links

Barcelona boss Xavi has completely dismissed speculation linking Jules Kounde with a move away from the club, saying there is no problem and the defender is a crucial part of his side. Manchester United and Chelsea have both been linked with a summer move for the France international, who only joined Barca last year from Sevilla. The 24-year-old has made 38 appearances in his first season with the Catalan giants, but reports emerged earlier in the week that the defender was unhappy at Camp Nou due to being played out of position at right-back rather than his natural centre-back role. However, Xavi insists the suggestion that Kounde is unhappy is simply not true and there are no issues between club and player. ‘Once again, with Koundé there is not and there has not been any problem. He’s a fundamental piece of our team,’ said the Barcelona manager. ‘Jules is a top professional, we’re very happy with him. I don’t understand why in the media people report that there are problems. No issues, at all.’ Xavi had already confirmed that a meeting has taken place with the player, stating: ‘I spoke to him, yes, we were happy and everything was clear. I don’t see any problems. We both came out of the meeting happy.’ Kounde himself has dismissed the transfer speculation, posting on Twitter on Thursday: ‘To make it clear: at no time did I ask to go out, so I’m not going anywhere.’ That appears to end any Premier League hopes of signing the impressive defender in the near future, especially after Barca’s La Liga triumph this season. Manchester United and Chelsea’s hopes of signing Jules Kounde have been dashed after Barcelona boss Xavi dismissed speculation linking the defender with a move away from the club. Xavi insisted that Kounde is a “fundamental piece” of his side and that there are no issues between club and player. The 24-year-old had only joined Barcelona last year from Sevilla and has made 38 appearances in his first season with the Catalan giants. Reports had suggested that Kounde was unhappy at Camp Nou due to being played out of position at right-back rather than his natural centre-back role, leading to speculation that both Manchester United and Chelsea were ready to pounce on the situation. However, Xavi confirmed that he had held a meeting with Kounde and that both parties were happy with the outcome. Kounde himself also took to Twitter to dismiss the transfer speculation, stating: “To make it clear: at no time did I ask to go out, so I’m not going anywhere.” This appears to end any Premier League hopes of signing the impressive defender in the near future, especially after Barcelona’s La Liga triumph this season.