Intermediary behind Barcelona star’s 2022 transfer slams club over unpaid dues – ‘I did everything’ | OneFootball

Football agent Isaac Tutumlu has taken legal action against Barcelona, filing a lawsuit for non-payment of his commission worth €3 million for the Jules Kounde transfer.

Recently, Tutumlu opened up on the story, stating that it was Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, who personally reached out to him in June 2022 to assist in securing the signing of the French defender.

Laporta allegedly sought his help because of his strong ties with Sevilla’s sporting director at the time, Ramon Rodriguez ‘Monchi’.

Allegations towards Barcelona

Tutumlu claims he played a crucial role in the entire negotiation process, stating that his involvement was key in preventing Kounde from joining Chelsea.

He insists that he was in charge of negotiations from the very beginning and saw the deal through until just before it was finalised. However, he now accuses Barcelona of refusing to compensate him for his efforts.

“I carried out all the negotiations for the signing of Kounde from the first day to the penultimate day. Now, Barça don’t want to pay me,” he said as quoted by SPORT.

Supporting pieces of evidence

Jules Kounde’s transfer has taken an ugly turn. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

In support of his claims, the intermediary has presented a range of evidence, including emails, text messages, and conversations with top Barcelona officials involved in the transfer.

“I had several meetings with Mateu Alemany at the Ciudad Deportiva, and I have emails and telephone and WhatsApp conversations with him, with Monchi, with Laporta, and even with Xavi.”

These documents, according to Tutumlu, confirm that there was an agreement for him to work on ensuring the defender’s transfer to Barcelona.

“These documents confirm that there was an interest in the player and an agreement for me to do everything possible to bring him. It is evidence that I have provided to the lawsuit.”

Removed from the story

Tutumlu says Mateu Alemany removed him from the negotiations. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite his involvement, Tutumlu alleges that he was unfairly removed from the negotiations at a later stage. He claims that once the deal was close to completion, Alemany deliberately sidelined him to prevent him from receiving his commission.

“When everything was closed with Monchi and Sevilla, my surprise is that I spoke to Laporta and Mateu Alemany told him not to talk to me, because he led the negotiations directly,” he noted.

Tutumlu insists that Alemany’s claim of having led the negotiations was false, as he had not spoken to either Monchi or Kounde earlier in the process.

“That’s a lie because he didn’t speak to Monchi or Kounde before. He didn’t speak to Monchi until the end of July.”

Meanwhile, sources from Barcelona have denied any formal agreement with Tutumlu regarding a commission for the transfer. The club maintains that he did not perform any official duties related to the signing of Kounde.

Attempts to resolve the matter reportedly failed, prompting Tutumlu to escalate the situation through legal channels in an effort to claim the payment he believes he is owed.