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According to The Express, Arsenal and Manchester United are set to battle for the signature of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde. The Frenchman previously had a price tag of £70m, which has now been reduced to £50m.
The 22-year old defender has been the subject of interest of numerous clubs across Europe in recent months. Manchester United were initially keen on Dayot Upamencano, however, the Leipzig man has opted to move to Bayern Munich next summer. This has forced Manchester United to their sights on signing Kounde.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to bring a new centre-back at Manchester United to partner club captain Harry Maguire in the team's backline. Current United defenders Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, and Axel Tuanzebe have proven to be unreliable in recent months, which is why the Norwegian manager is keen on bringing Kounde to Manchester.
Arsenal also are reportedly on the hunt for a new centre-back this summer following various developments in the January window.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi both had their contracts at Arsenal terminated in January while William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos currently are out on loan at Nice and VfB Stuttgart, respectively. David Luiz is also expected to leave Arsenal in the summer after his contract expires.
Arsenal and Manchester United should expect competition for Kounde
Kounde joined Sevilla in the summer of 2019, signing for the Spanish club in a €21m move from Bordeaux. He quickly nailed down a spot for himself in Julen Lopetegui's side. Kounde made 40 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla last season and was a key part of their Europa League triumph.
Sevilla put a price tag of £70m on Kounde ahead of the summer transfer window. Reports, however, claim the asking price for Kounde has been reduced to £50m to garner more competition for the Frenchman's signature.
Arsenal and Manchester United should be able to afford Kounde in the summer. However, they can expect further competition for the player's signature as he is highly-rated. The reduction of his price tag will have also put more clubs on alert.
