Report: Juventus to offer Chiesa in swap deal for Franck Kessie
It’s long been reported that Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has identified Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie as the perfect player to bolster Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.
Last week it was reported that the two teams would meet while both were touring the USA to discuss the Ivorian midfielder’s future, with Barca open to the possibility of him moving on.
Now Calcio Mercato is reporting that the Bianconeri may offer Frederico Chiesa to the La Liga champions in a possible swap deal.
As we’ve previously reported, Kessie is keen to stay at Barcelona despite only starting 7 La Liga games last year, after only arriving from AC Milan on a free transfer last summer.
If he were to move on, he would prefer to test himself in the Premier League. As far as we’re aware, there has been no interest in Kessie from a premier league club, and if he wants to find consistent first-team football, he may want to make the move to Turin.
Chiesa is an extremely talented footballer who’s made 42 appearances for the Italian national side, but 2022 was a disappointing year with the former Fiorentina man working his way back from an ACL injury sustained at the back end of the 2021-22 season.
Would Barcelona want Frederico Chiesa?
It’s widely known that the Blaugrana are looking to trim their wage budget this year to ensure they balance the books in relation to the financial fair play regulations.
It’s also widely known that Xavi is looking to strengthen the side with the addition of a central midfielder and right back.
Chiesa is largely an attacking midfielder who either plays on the wing or as a shadow striker, neither position are a glaring weakness for Barca.
In fact, as we mentioned earlier today, the depth of talent on the wings will likely see Football Director Mateu Alemany sanction loans for promising young players Estanis Pedrola and Abde Ezzalzouli.
Adding more talent to the wings is likely not a priority, even if Xavi is an admirer of Chiesa as is reported in Calcio Mercato.
Barcelona have a perfect chance to negotiate with Juventus
The two teams are set to face off against each other in California on Sunday night in the first preseason game of the US tour.
It will represent a chance for the two sides to sit down and negotiate a fair price for the midfielder, although by all accounts the interest from Juve is not reciprocated by Kessie, who at the moment has no desire to return to Italy following his departure from AC Milan.
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