Franck Kessié will not take the same route as Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu and depart Milan on a free transfer next year. Even though his contract is up in 2022, the midfielder plans to stay long-term. He announced it in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I am proud for choosing this club, and I do not want to leave. Rather, I want to stay forever. I have only Milan on my mind, so the fans have to be serene. I always keep my word; they should know me. I am in Tokyo to try to achieve something important for my country. Once the Olympics are over, I will head back to Italy and settle everything. There will not be any issue.”
“I am constantly in touch with directors Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara, and they are aware of what I think. I am super motivated, and I look forward to seeing my teammates and coach Stefano Pioli. We fought hard to reach the Champions League, and we qualified deservingly. Now we have to measure up with the history of Milan in Europe.”
According to SportMediaset, the management offered €5.5M per year plus add-ons, while the player and his agent asked for a little more salary-wise. However, it should not be too difficult to reach an agreement. Kessié is likely to add two more years to his deal, pushing its expiration date to 2024. He had drawn interest from the Premier League and Liverpool in particular, the site adds.