Franck Kessié has had a slow start of the season and has been distant from the elite levels he reached in the past campaign. His difficulties were on display in the clash with Atletico Madrid, where he was booked twice in the first half.
Fans have grown concerned that the uncertainty about his contractual status is starting to affect him. Instead, Milan believe his issues to be merely physical and that he will improve gradually, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs. Kessié had no vacation in the summer as he took part in the Olympics. He picked up a thigh strain right after returning, which cost him the first two rounds. Those two elements have hampered his conditioning. Moreover, he had to log heavy minutes because Ismael Bennacer was not fully fit either.
The club does not think that the expiring deal represents a distraction. There have been no new developments on that front in recent weeks. As things stand, Kessié would be free to sign with a new team in January and join it for free next summer. The Rossoneri have not scheduled a new meeting with his agent.
The two parties are fairly distant on the wages. Milan offered €6.5M, while the entourage of the player asked for €8M. PSG, Tottenham, and Manchester United are monitoring the situation very closely. The French club appeared to be in the lead, but the Red Devils are catching up to them. They could make a serious push to bring him in to replace Paul Pogba, who is in the same situation.