Jules Kounde was ‘flattered’ by interest from a certain Premier League heavyweight but insists he never tried to force a transfer.
After their weak backline was exploited numerous times during the course of the 2019/20 season, Manchester City made it a priority to bring in a new central defender during the summer transfer window.
Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly were understood to be on the Sky Blues’ wishlist.
It was reported that the English outfit even put an offer in the range of €70 million on Sevilla’s table for Kounde but it was rejected due to the sum not being enough.
The 21-year old rose to prominence last season, playing a crucial role in the Spanish side’s record sixth Europa League success.
He ended up staying at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Man City ended up signing Ruben Dias from Benfica and Nathan Ake from Bournemouth, but the Frenchman has no regrets.
“The interest of a club like City is always a good thing, but I’m at Sevilla and I’m very calm,” Kounde told Sevilla FC TV.
“I’m lucky to be at a club that competes at a very good level. We have a fantastic group of players and people.
“That wasn’t a bad option, but I always told [Sevilla director of football] Monchi that I would not force anything. If everyone wasn’t happy, I knew I had a contract here, playing in the Champions League.”
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