With Barcelona having returned from the USA, the transfer rumblings are starting to heat up. I think we all know by now that Xavi is keen to bring in Joao Cancelo, seeing him as the final piece of the puzzle for the starting XI. Although, the Barca manager is still keen on securing the signing of an attacking midfielder as well. With incomings, there has to be outgoings. One name that will almost certainly leave is Franck Kessie, the Ivorian midfielder who is again drawing interest from Saudi.
Earlier this summer it was reported that Kessie had no interest in leaving European football for the riches of the Saudi Pro League, but he’s reportedly had a change of heart with SPORT revealing that the former AC Milan man would find it hard to turn down an approach if the financial package was hard to turn down.
We know that Juventus have been pushing for his signature, but Kessie has yet to respond to their approach, with the belief being that he’d prefer to head to the Premier League. Tottenham have been linked and with the North London club heading to Spain for a friendly next week, it would be the perfect time to negotiate a deal.
Al Ahly set to offer Franck Kessie a deal
According to the report in SPORT, Saudi club Al Ahly have reignited their interest in Kessie and they could offer him a deal in the coming hours, with Kessie willing to go if the deal is ‘very high economically’.
The offer on the table is for a loan deal with a €15 million obligation to buy clause attached, and while Barca is willing to accept that, they may be more interested in an outright sale considering the financial situation at the club.
Right now, all options are still on the table with Kessie wanting a full understanding of his options before making a decision. The chances are he’ll exit at some point over the coming week as he’s already been informed by Xavi that he’s not in the manager’s plans this year.
Kessie travelled to the USA for Barcelona’s pre-season tour and did make an appearance against Arsenal. However, he failed to see the field in the games against Real Madrid and AC Milan, with Barcelona likely protecting the midfielder against injury.
If Kessie does leave this summer, his time at Barca will have been short and sweet with the midfielder only joining 12 months ago.