Kounde Resolves Controversy Over His Future with Barcelona

French defender Jules Kounde confirmed his commitment to continuing with Barcelona, indirectly denying all speculations linking him with leaving the Catalan club in the upcoming period.

During the press conference preceding the friendly match between France and Ivory Coast, the Spanish newspaper 'Mundo Deportivo' reported Kounde's statements regarding his future, where he said: 'I have a contract until 2030, things are very clear in my mind. When I am with the French national team, these matters take a backseat. I am focused on competition until further notice, I am a Barcelona player and I hope to continue there.'

The French international also spoke about his national team's preparations during the international break, saying: 'We have absorbed the work very well, and that was important. We have all gone through different seasons, but now it's time to start again on good foundations. We have done a lot of physical training and things have gone well, everyone is excited.'

Kounde also commented on France's nomination to compete for the World Cup title, confirming that the team handles these expectations cautiously, saying: 'I leave that to you, we don't care about these things. We know we are a team with great quality and that many consider us as contenders. We are aware of the value of the team we have and our ambition, but we must approach the tournament with humility.'

He added: 'There are also many strong teams, we have to start well against the African champion, and we will proceed step by step.'