Kounde 'Prepared to reach for very high goals' after joining Barcelona

Jules Kounde said on Monday that he was "Proud to arrive at a very big and ambitious club," as he was officially presented as a Barcelona player, becoming the Spanish club's fifth signing of the summer.

The 23-year-old France international moved from Sevilla for a reported Euros 50 million (US$ 51.2 million) on a five-year contract with a buy-out clause of Euros 1 billion (US$ 1.02 billion).

Kounde had been linked with a transfer to English Premier League side Chelsea, but the defender ultimately decided to stay in Spain.

"It's true that I had other offers," Kounde said. "But we were expecting Barcelona to reach an agreement with Sevilla. And when I felt that it was possible, then I chose Barca. It was clear to me. It's a club with a very ambitious project. And I also like La Liga a lot. So it wasn't really that big an effort for me. Because I wanted to come here."

Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have also been added to head coach Xavi Hernandez's squad this summer.

Barcelona open their domestic league season at home against Rayo Vallecano on 13th August.