FC Barcelona are not actively seeking to move Jules Kounde on, but the club has already begun contingency planning in the event that a substantial offer forces a decision. According to SPORT, the player Barcelona have identified as a potential successor is Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro – though the report is clear that completing such an operation would be anything but straightforward.
The context for this planning is Bayern Munich’s interest in Kounde, which has been confirmed in recent days but has not yet produced a formal bid. The situation around Kounde has carried underlying tension for some weeks, and Bayern’s involvement has sharpened the club’s thinking about what a departure would require. Barcelona’s position, as reported by Barca News Network citing SPORT, is that they could listen to proposals in the range of €50 million to €60 million – but Bayern are currently thought to be willing to go no higher than €40 million. That gap means a departure is currently far from certain.
Porro’s appeal as a replacement is not difficult to understand. The Tottenham right-back has strengthened his reputation with an outstanding World Cup for Spain and would offer Hansi Flick a naturally attacking option on the right side of his defence.
The obstacles, however, are substantial. Porro only renewed his Tottenham contract a month ago, and the extension gives Spurs near-total leverage in any negotiation. Tottenham paid approximately €45 million to sign him permanently from Sporting CP in January 2023, and his value has risen since then. For Barcelona to open talks, they would be approaching a financially powerful Premier League club about a player who has just been locked into a long-term deal, leaving the Catalans with almost no structural advantage in negotiations.
The financial logic of the sequence also requires scrutiny. Selling Kounde for €40 million – Bayern’s apparent ceiling – and then attempting to buy Porro for what would almost certainly be a higher fee would represent a net loss in both financial and sporting terms. Kounde is already established in Flick’s team and remains one of the strongest defensive right-backs in Europe. Any replacement operation would need to improve the squad, not merely replenish it.
Barcelona would need a substantial fee before considering breaking up that stability. Porro is an attractive alternative because he could add another dimension going forward, but replacing Kounde would also change the balance of the defence. Any potential deal therefore needs to improve the squad rather than simply generate a transfer fee. For now, the situation remains hypothetical: Bayern’s interest has not developed into a serious offer, and Kounde remains a Barcelona player. However, if the Frenchman does leave, Porro is a name to watch.