Kessie rejects new Milan deal: Where could he go next?

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 19 May 2021 17:39 BST
• 5 min read

Franck Kessie has been at AC Milan since his 2017, and permanently at the club since his £21.6 million move from Atalanta in 2019, however, with his contract expiring in 2022, it has been reported that he has rejected a new deal at the club.

According to Calciomercato, Kessie has turned down Milan’s initial offer of 3.5 million euros per year and an extension to his current deal, with the player wanting more money.

This has sparked rumours of a move away, and while an agreement could be reached, the 24-year-old midfielder could find himself on the way out of the club this summer.

If a contract agreement isn’t reached, it’s unlikely that Milan will allow Kessie to run down his contract and leave for free next summer, so he could be available this upcoming transfer window. But where would he go?

Kessie to Juventus?

The obvious answer would be Juventus who, just like Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, are able to buy the best players from the league each summer to ensure they win the title every year.

However, it is looking unlikely that Juventus will win the Scudetto this time around, with Inter running away with it, so the Old lady will need reinforcements to mount a title charge next year. One player who could be on their shopping list is Kessie.

The Ivorian midfielder is a box-to-box midfielder, but with Milan manager Stefano Pioli allowing him freedom in the final third, he has scored 11 goals and grabbed three assists in all competitions for his club this term.

He has score more goals by himself that Rodrigo Bentancur (0), Arthur (1), Adrien Rabiot (2), Aaron Ramsey (2) and Weston McKennie (5) combined; he is outperforming Juventus’ central midfield all by himself in terms of attacking output.

With only 2.6 tackles and interceptions per 90, he doesn’t complete as many defensive actions as Bentancur (4.3) for example, but he offers far more than Arthur and Rabiot in particular, and he would strengthen the Juventus midfield significantly.

With Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo potentially leaving this summer, the Old Lady should have money to play with.

Kessie to Manchester United?

Against Man Utd in the Europa League, Kessie was quite simply superb, and severely unlucky to be on the losing side. His performance across the two legs gathered much attention, and if the Red Devils lose Paul Pogba this summer, then Kessie would be a great replacement.

Reports of Pogba leaving appear every summer, but with his contract expiring in 2022, this may be the summer that he finally leaves Old Trafford.

The Frenchman has played further forward on occasions this season, but how do his numbers compare to Kessie’s?

Now, Kessie does fall short of Pogba’s underlying numbers, but not by much as you can see. He would be a great replacement for the Frenchman, if Mino Raiola’s client finally leaves Man Utd this summer.

Kessie to Liverpool?

Just like with Pogba potentialy leaving Man Utd, Liverpool face losing one of their star central midfielders this summer, although Georginio Wijnaldum’s exit is almost 100% confirmed.

The current reigning Premier League champions will need to replace their Dutch midfielder, and who better than Kessie.

The Reds need goals from their midfield, just like Juventus, and Kessie would provide that, whilst also adding a physical presence to go alongside Thiago Alcantara’s elegance.

In fact, Kessie is better than Wijnaldum in almost every area, and would significantly upgrade Liverpool’s current roster of central midfielders.

Kessie is an excellent box-to-box No.8, and he would be a shrewd acquisition for any club looking to improve their central midfield options.