Newcastle United prepared to make £65 million offer to sign 24-year-old Barcelona defender – Reports

Newcastle United are reportedly prepared to splash close to £65 million to snap up Barcelona defender Jules Kounde in the near future.

The Magpies, who finished in fourth spot in the Premier League last season, have cemented themselves as one of the top clubs in Europe of late. They spent around £130 million on four players, including Sandro Tonali, earlier this summer to refresh their ranks with quality talent.

Now, according to Spanish news outlet El Desmarque, Newcastle United are keen to lure Kounde away from Camp Nou next year. They are prepared to lodge a £43 million initial bid with £22 million in potential add-ons to convince the Catalan outfit to offload their centre-back.

However, Barcelona are said to be unwilling to part ways with the Bordeaux youth product. They deem the Frenchman as one of their most important first-team stars and hope to hold on to him for quite a while.

Should Kounde seal a permanent switch to Newcastle in the near future, he would pop up as a regular starter for them. He would easily displace Fabian Schar as the right-sided central defender and form a partnership with Sven Botman in the club's preferred 4-3-3 formation.

Kounde, whose current contract is set to expire in June 2027, played a key role in helping Barcelona lift the La Liga title and the Supercopa Espana last season. He has helped his team register 29 shutouts in 51 matches across all competitions so far, contributing six assists.

Lionel Messi not aiming to join Barcelona or any other club on loan, says transfer expert

Earlier this month, SPORT reported that Barcelona are keen to bring Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou on a short-term loan deal next year.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, acclaimed transfer guru Fabrizio Romano shed light on the left-footed player's future. He elaborated (0:49):

"He's not going to any club on loan. Many people were hoping for Messi to do something like David Beckham or Thierry Henry to return to Europe before the new MLS season begins in February. From what I'm told, he always had the same idea: stay at Inter Miami and not go on loan to Barcelona or any other club."

Providing insight into the 36-year-old's potential plans, Romano added:

"And now what happens? He's going to play for Argentina in November. Then in December, he'll relax a bit, rest a bit. First week in January, Messi will be back for pre-season and then in February, he'll be back on the pitch with Inter Miami."

Messi, who joined Inter Miami on a free switch from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in July this year, has relished a good start in Florida. He has scored 11 goals and laid out five assists in 14 games for his new club.