Jules Kounde, a defender from France, will make his professional debut for Barcelona against Real Valladolid on Sunday, August 28, 2022, as the team has succeeded in registering him.
Coach Xavi expressed optimism on Saturday that the 23-year-old, who arrived from Sevilla in July for a reputed £42 million, will be able to participate in the game.
The center-back was unable to register with La Liga until the league body was satisfied with the club’s compliance with the league’s financial regulations, so he missed league matches against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad.
But Barcelona has confirmed that Kounde has officially been registered and will participate in the league clash with Real Valladolid on Sunday. He is part of the club’s 24-man squad that will be in action from 18:30 later tonight at Camp Nou.
The center-back couldn’t play against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad in the first two games of the new season after being acquired from Sevilla because Barcelona’s pay cap didn’t allow for his registration. The player will now put the registration saga behind him as he officially commences his journey in La Liga.
The formal confirmation of Jules Kounde’s registration arrived on Saturday evening, August 27, hours after coach Xavi’s statement during his Saturday news conference that he was optimistic the player will be registered in time for tonight’s game.
Barcelona has finally been able to balance the numbers enough for LaLiga to sanction the Frenchman’s entrance after numerous modifications, talks, and the pulling of various levers.
Kounde is now accessible, just like Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, and Andreas Christensen, who were also recently signed by the Catalan club.
The club hadn’t anticipated it would be so challenging to register their new signings with LaLiga, but they have now succeeded.
However, Barcelona still has work to do if they hope to register Marcos Alonso and announce the extension of Gavi’s contract.
How Jules Kounde was registered by Barcelona.
The four players who could not make Barcelona’s starting lineup for the first two games of the 2022–23 La Liga season—Martin Braithwaite, Samuel Umtiti, Sergino Dest, and Jules Kounde—stand a chance of doing so soonest as things stand.
Naturally, Kounde stands out as the odd man out on this list. Umtiti is one of the first three that Xavi has advised quitting the club, but the situation with the recently acquired Sevilla defender was different.
Barcelona failed to sign Kounde to the La Liga despite earning an additional €700 million through “economic levers.” However, the Frenchman has finally entered the league’s inventory before tonight’s match against Real Valladolid.
How Barça registered him without selling any players or removing any salaries from their books is through an appeal using Article 92 of the La Liga rules.
According to AS, the shareholder or another party outside the club must give the necessary guarantees through a cash deposit or a bank guarantee; the club itself is never permitted to do so.
By depositing a bank guarantee, Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta and treasurer Ferran Olive were able to increase their compensation margin and sign Jules Kounde as a player.
