Barcelona sued for “irregularities” in Kounde’s transfer payment

The agent of football players Isaac Tutumlu filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Barcelona in which he claims the collection of a commission of 3 million euros for his alleged intermediation in the signing of defender Jules Kounde by the Catalan club.

In statements to 'EFE', Tutumlu explained that he has had no choice but to sue the Catalan club after “numerous attempts” to reach an amicable agreement on the payment “even in a deferred form” of the fees that, as FIFA agent, he should have received for his intervention in the operation.

According to the plaintiff, it was the president of Barcelona himself, Joan Laporta, with whom he had a good personal relationship, who asked him on June 10th, 2022 to intercede “in favour of Barca” in the signing of Kounde, given his “good relationship” with Ramon Rodriguez 'Monchi', then sporting director of Sevilla

However, sources at the Catalan club assured 'EFE' that he was neither commissioned nor recognised for any work in relation to the signing of Kounde. 

Tutumlu had already participated in the transfer of Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong to Barcelona the previous summer. A negotiation in which there was already talk, according to the player agent, of signing Jules Kounde, as the 'Cules' were looking for a centre-back of guarantees to reinforce their defence.

“Nine months ago, I already intervened in an operation between the same clubs, getting De Jong to arrive on loan, when Sevilla were asking for 8 to 10 million for the transfer. Then we signed the intermediation mandate contract a fortnight after the deal was closed and I was paid by Barca without any problems,” he recalled.

In his lawsuit, Tutumlu argues that the summer after De Jong's loan, he played “an essential and determining role in the negotiation and subsequent acquisition” of Kounde by the Catalan club, who paid 50 million fixed plus another 5 million in variables, preventing him from finally joining Chelsea, who were also interested in acquiring the French international's services.

Barcelona officially announced the signing of Jules Kounde on July 26th, 2022, but the agent did not get paid this time “for the professional services and arrangements he has carried out in compliance with the provisions of the FIFA Regulations,” the lawsuit states. 

Isaac Tumtumlu claims that after many weeks of work, Mateu Alemany, Barcelona's sporting director at the time, removed him from the negotiations when the deal was already well underway and all that was left to do was to finalise the signing.

“I held several meetings with Mateu Alemany (then sporting director at Barcelona) at the ‘Cules’ training complex, and I have e-mails and telephone and Whatasapp conversations with him, with Monchi, with Laporta, and even with Xavi, and which confirm that there was an interest in the player and an agreement for me to do what I could to bring him in. These are proofs that I have provided to the lawsuit,” Tutumlu told ‘EFE’.

The player's agent pointed out that he could have asked Barca for 10% of what the transfer cost as a commission, but that he finally claimed 6%, the 3 million euros that he has not yet received and that he is now asking for in the lawsuit.