It’s long been rumoured that Barcelona were open to letting Franck Kessie leave this summer if a suitable offer arrived. Considering the Catalan club needs to reduce the wage bill and generate income in the hope of signing more players, this is a positive step for Barca.
According to reports coming out of Italy, Barcelona and Juventus have agreed a deal in “principle”, which will see the Ivorian midfielder join Juve on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to purchase for a fee between €10-€15 million.
It could be that the fee will change based on Kessie hitting certain milestones like appearances, but there is still one big hurdle to jump, and that’s the player himself.
As we saw last year with the Frenkie de Jong and Manchester United saga, you can’t force a player to leave. If a player has a contract, then that contract is binding.
According to the report, Juventus technical director Cristiano Giuntoli has scheduled another meeting with the former AC Milan man, with Kessie reportedly preferring a move to the Premier League or Bundesliga.
Juventus need to sell the dream to Kessie for him to move to Italy
It’s now up to Giuntoli to sell the Juventus vision to Kessie who has been deemed surplus to requirements by Xavi after only joining Barcelona 12 months ago.
It’s hoped that Giuntoli will be able to meet Kessie in person when Barca take on Arsenal this week with AC Milan and Juventus also playing in the same city.
Kessie is not guaranteed to get minutes with Barcelona next year, but reports indicate that Massimiliano Allegri is ready to make him a pivotal part of his midfield, promising him significant time in the hope of luring him to Turin.
The Italian giants see Kessie as the perfect man to add intensity and running to a midfield that was sometimes overwhelmed last season.
It remains to be seen if Kessie is willing to accept this move, but it would certainly help Barcelona if he did.