Franck Kessié is nearing a move to Barcelona, but it is not a done deal just yet. The Blaugrana are in pole position to capture the Ivorian powerhouse on a Bosman move. They have submitted their official proposal and are waiting for his answer, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Coach Xavi has been a major proponent of the addition and personally reached out to the player. According to the transfer market expert, Barcelona offered €6.5M wages to Kessié, plus add-ons and a sizeable commission for his agents.
Milan will not improve their offer to extend his expiring deal. Director Paolo Maldini weighed in to SportMediaset before the recent Coppa Italia Derby: “It is normal that other teams are pursuing him considering his contractual situation and the fact that we do not have an agreement in place with him. Ownership drew the line, and we are not moving from it.”
There is major optimism among Catalonian publications that Kessié will indeed sign with Barcelona. While they are clearly in the lead, he has not put pen-to-paper yet. The star appears to have lowered his demands, as he was asking for €8M salary according to previous chatter. He has likely failed to find a taker at such lofty sum.
Inter, Juventus, and PSG all reportedly eyed him at some point. However, they do seem to have tabled real offers. The Rossoneri have started to phase him out a little lately. They are giving more minutes to Ismael Bennacer and had Kessié come off the bench in a couple of matches.