Barcelona will reportedly hold talks with Franck Kessie’s agent in the coming days, with the 25-year-old midfielder set to leave AC Milan.
According to reputed Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, Franck Kessie’s agent will soon enter talks with Barcelona over a possible Bosman move in the summer transfer window. The 25-year-old midfielder is poised to leave AC Milan as a free agent at the end of the season.
Franck Kessie joined AC Milan from Atalanta in July 2017 and has since gone from strength to strength. Now widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in Serie A, the Ivory Coast international has played a leading role in the Rossoneri’s transformation in recent years, with his team now essentially a top-four team in the Italian top-flight.
To date, the 25-year-old has made 205 appearances for AC Milan, chipping in with 35 goals and 16 assists in the process. But the Serie A giants are in a spot of bother over the player’s long-term future, as he has entered the final six months of his contract. With Kessie highly unlikely to sign a renewal, several clubs across Europe, including Barcelona, have set their sights on him.
The interest from Barcelona stems from Sergio Busquets’s advancing years. The veteran Spanish international is in the final phase of his storied career and will start getting phased out sooner rather than later. On top of that, Barcelona could cash in on Frenkie de Jong to balance their books and fund transfers of key targets in the summer transfer window.
??️ #Barcelona have scheduled a meeting with #Atangana (#Kessie's agent) to discuss a free transfer. ??
❌‼️ The ?? – that will not renew his contract with #ACMilan ?⚫ – has other offers around €8M/year. ?⚽#Calciomercato #Transfers #Milan #FCB #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/KvjJInUH12
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) February 2, 2022
Kessie has thus emerged as a viable target for Barcelona, with recent reports even claiming that they had reached a verbal agreement to sign him. But it appears the Blaugrana and Kessie will hold further talks in the coming weeks and months before finalising a pre-contract agreement.
According to Rudy Galetti, Barcelona and Kessie’s agent are poised to hold discussions imminently. The Catalan giants might have to table a contract worth more than €8 million per year, with the 25-year-old already having such offers on his table.
If a move for Kessie does not materialise, another Serie A-based midfielder, Marcelo Brozovic, could well become Barcelona’s priority midfield target. Like Kessie, Brozovic is also in the final six months of his contract, albeit with Inter Milan. It remains to be seen which of the two midfielders becomes Barcelona’s preferred option for a Bosman move.
