Barcelona new signing Jules Kounde has explained his appreciation for the opportunities to join Barcelona and readiness to win with the club after joining the club from Sevilla.

Kounde was engaged in a two-way battle between Barcelona and Chelsea, but it was the Catalan Club that eventually snapped up the French defender after agreeing to a deal with Sevilla on Wednesday.

In his first interview with Barcelona as a Barcelona player, Jules Kounde spoke of how the move represents the next step in his career while also stating that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is one of the major reasons why he made the move as the Spaniard convinced him to join the club.

“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.” Kounde said.

The 23-year-old signed a five-year contract after Barcelona agreed to pay Sevilla €50M for the player. He is the fifth signing for Barcelona this summer.

He joins after Raphinha moved in from Premier League club Leeds United while Poland striker Robert Lewandowski also moved in from Bayern Munich despite having a year left on his contract with the Bavarians.

Andreas Christensen and Ivorian midfielder Frank Kessie are the other two players who moved in on a free transfer from Chelsea and AC Milan, respectively.

Meanwhile, Barcelona may have issues trying to register their new players before the start of the new season, with a clash against Rayo Vallecano imminent.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has assured the Blaugrana faithful that the club is on track to register its new signings. According to him, the club has informed La Liga that they will complete the necessary dues in order to register their new recruits.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu