"Now it's war between us!" - Real Madrid star sends message to Jules Kounde after Barcelona move

Real Madrid's new signing Aurelien Tchouameni has congratulated Jules Kounde on joining Barcelona. He jokingly mentioned that there will now be a war between the two since the compatriots will play for arguably football's bitterest rivals, Los Blancos and the Blaugrana.

The two young French players have made big money moves to rival El Clasico sides, prompting the Los Blancos midfielder to post on social media.

Tchouameni congratulated the former Sevilla defender on his move to Barcelona, 'declaring war' on his compatriot since they now represent rival sides in La Liga.

Madrid Xtra shared a snapshot of Tchouameni's post, which is as follows:

Loosely translated from Spanish, Tchouameni's caption means (in jest):

"Now it’s war between us."

Barcelona completed Kounde's long-awaited signing after ousting Chelsea from the race. The Blaugrana will pay €50 million upfront with more in add-ons to bring the versatile defender to the Camp Nou.

Upon joining Xavi's side, Kounde told Barca TV via Goal:

"I am very thankful for this opportunity. I'm very excited because I'm arriving at a great club with a great team. Sevilla is a great club of course, but Barca are the next step in my career at every level. I want to compete in every competition and try and win as much as possible."

He added:

"Xavi is one of the great reasons I am here. I spoke to him several times and the way he spoke was captivating. We had some good conversations and we see football the same way. I set myself no limits, I want to grow and learn so I'm going to listen and do the best I can."

The Frenchman was a vital cog in Sevilla's defense during his 44 appearances across all competitions last season. He helped them keep 19 clean sheets in those 44 appearances.

Kounde was one of the reasons behind Julen Lopetegui's side finishing with the best defensive stats in the league, conceding 30 goals.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have had contrasting summer windows

Defending La Liga and Champions League winners Real Madrid have had a quiet summer window. They signed defensive midfielder Tchouameni from Monaco earlier in the summer for a deal worth €100 million, but have been rather quiet since then.

Barcelona, on the other hand, have completed a flurry of signings despite their well-recognized financial struggles. Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and now Kounde have all been integrated into Xavi's side ahead of the new season.

It remains to be seen if such reinforcements are enough for Barcelona to challenge Real Madrid's dominance in Spain and Europe.