Barcelona are pushing for AC Milan and Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, according to Gianluca di Marzio. Kessie’s contract with Milan is up this June, and many teams have been circling the player, including Barcelona’s main rival. Di Marzio, however, confirms that Kessie’s camp and Barcelona have had a serious push in their negotiations.
La Blaugrana are offering the midfielder a salary of €6.5 million per season net of taxes. The price seems to be acceptable, as di Marzio mentions that Barcelona are currently leading other clubs in the race for Kessie’s signature.
Barcelona Pushing for Franck Kessie
The Player and the Fit
Kessie has long been one of Milan’s top players, let alone top midfielders. He can play as a box-to-box midfielder, controlling the pace of a game through his steadiness on the ball and intense stamina allowing him to run all match long. More than that, he’s also a terrific defensive presence at times and contributes going forward. Kessie takes the majority of Milan’s penalties as well as seeing appearances in a “number 10” role. That alone shows his versatility around the pitch.
His contract situation within Milan is quite apparent. Although it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be leaving Milan, it seems more likely than not. With that being said, Kessie continues to start matches when fit. Milan are second in the Serie A table, so it clearly shows that Kessie remains valuable no matter his status within the team.
Hypothetically, Kessie slots in well in Barcelona’s midfield. Right now, the team has players such as Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Sergi Roberto, Riqui Puig, and Nico Gonzalez. A number of these players are quite young, while others are ageing and are depth options. Kessie slots in as an immediate starter, most likely taking over the role held by Busquets for several seasons. On a free deal as well, acquiring Kessie is a bargain for Barcelona.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
