Should Jules Koundé be worried? The former Bordeaux player is coming off a full season, 47 matches with FC Barcelona, and 14 with the French team. The 2026-2027 financial year begins in a significantly different way, since he has only started three matches out of eight with his club, and two out of four with the Blues.
In the French team, in a gathering where the new coach Zinédine Zidane wanted to do tests, Koundé is in competition with Pierre Kalulu, and must show that he is still number 1 in his position. At Barça, on the other hand, he would no longer quite do the job. And if Eric Garcia was tested on the right, the Blaugrana club would consider a major transfer, according to El Nacional.
According to the Catalan media, Hansi Flick is looking for a full-back with another profile, capable of widening the game and fully occupying the right flank. This is not quite the profile of Koundé, a solid defender above all. “But his irregularity and certain ball errors ended up eroding the confidence of the technical staff”writes El Nacional, in a speech that could be transposed from Barça to the France team.
Koundé threatened by Porro
In the event of a good offer, at 70 million euros for example, FC Barcelona would be ready to let go of Jules Koundé. His replacement has already been identified. This is Pedro Porro, the very offensive right-back of world champion La Roja. Incidentally, one of the scorers against the Blues in the World Cup semi-final. A player who has an obvious and established bond with Lamine Yamal, his selection partner.
The threat is therefore real for Jules Koundé. If he were to lose his place in a club, his role in the French team could suffer. Even if he is one of the vice-captains of the Blues, which explains why he finished the match against Belgium with the armband, his status could be called into question.
