If the rumors by Romero are true that we are close to signing Kounde, that should be curtains for Pique for his current role.
Even if you ignore Pique's unprofessional shenanigans, there's still no reason to be all that confident in him especially if the rumors are true and his condition is indeed chronic. He's 35 years old and apparently still in pain 4 months later, that should be it for him really as a full-time starter.
AC, Araujo and Kounde should be enough to rely on for now on and instead of pretending this guy can still be fully relied on.