Liverpool given surprise chance to sign Barcelona star for £55m

Liverpool's team is going to look completely different by the time the 2026-27 season kicks off.

There are so many areas among their ranks at the moment which just aren't good enough to be competing for the Premier League title.

Indeed, they may have won it during the 2024-25 campaign but, since that was Jurgen Klopp's team and both Manchester City and Arsenal weren't at the races, the Reds basically had a free run at the title.

This win led fans to believe that with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz also added to their ranks that their club would be close to unstoppable.

That clearly wasn't the case and, in actual fact, it feels like Liverpool are actually worse off now than they were before.

This realisation has led to many players being linked with an Anfield switch and now, one of their long-term targets has been put on the market for £55 million.

Barcelona have now put Jules Kounde on the market for £55 million

Jules Kounde has been one of Barcelona's best defenders over the last few years.

The Frenchman joined the club from Sevilla back in 2022 and, although his favoured position was centre-back when he first joined, Barcelona have since converted him into a right-back.

Of course, the fact that he can play both positions is vital in this day and age due to the size of squads and the number of injuries players seem to be suffering.

Despite Kounde's solid performances, the La Liga giants are looking to move him on and have seemingly green-lit his exit.

This is great news for Liverpool, especially since they've had their eye on the 27-year-old for a while now.

However, up until recently, his price tag seemed a bit far fetched for the Anfield outfit to make a move but now, a fresh update from Caught Offside has certainly changed that.

"A player I’ve covered before as a transfer target for Chelsea and Liverpool is now available on the market for just £55m – that player is Jules Kounde," they wrote.

"Barcelona surprisingly open to letting the France international go this summer as they look to reshape their squad and make money from player sales.

"Although the Catalan giants’ financial situation is no longer as dire as it was a few years ago, there is still a desire to be careful when it comes to Financial Fair Play regulations.

"Sources have again informed me that Kounde is someone seen as expendable at Barca, and the club have been sounding out previous suitors such as Chelsea and Liverpool as possible buyers."

Jules Kounde would be an exceptional signing for Liverpool

The fact that Kounde is 27 years old is one of the main reasons why he'd be an exceptional signing for Liverpool.

The amount of experience that the Frenchman has is second-to-none and, his ability to mentor youngsters such as Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni would be a massive help to Virgil van Dijk.

His versatility is also a major selling point and, the fact that he contributed to seven goals across all competitions this term is also something that shouldn't be frowned upon.

Kounde played in 47 games for Barcelona during the 2025-26 campaign and, while most of his appearances came at right-back, there was still the odd outing here and there when he was used in the centre of defence.

Admittedly, his injury history is a bit of a worry but, since he only missed seven games this time around, it kind of feels like he's gotten over those problems.

All of this for just £55 million, especially with how inflated the market is at the moment would be an absolute steal and, even though the Reds already have too many non-homegrown players among their ranks, they simply have to make room for Kounde.

If they don't they'll be passing up a huge opportunity and will likely end up regretting it as the 2026-27 season goes on.