Barcelona edge CLOSER to agreement for star midfielder

Tom Weber

• 24 Jul 2023 14:04 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona and Juventus are making progress in the talks about a potential transfer of Franck Kessie, according to Spanish media.

Despite some moments of brilliance last season, like his late winner in what ultimately proved to be the title-deciding El Clasico against Real Madrid, Kessie struggled for consistent playing time in his first season in Barcelona.

The former AC Milan midfielder joined as a free agent, but with the Blaugrana constantly looking to shave expenses off their wage bill, they are open to selling Kessie just one year on from his arrival. Head coach Xavi is believed to have communicated to the Ivorian that he will not feature much next term.

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Kessie has plenty of suitors, but it is Juventus who appear the most keen to bring him back to Serie A. Indeed, talks between the Bianconeri and the Blaugrana have been ongoing for a while and an agreement could be reached very soon indeed.

Wrangling over clauses

The most likely scenario at this moment in time, according to SPORT, is a loan with an obligation to buy. Without Champions League football to look forward to next season, Juventus can't outright buy Kessie this window, but they would be open to including a clause that would make a transfer mandatory if they were to finish first or second next season.

Barcelona, however, want a better assurance that Kessie will depart and they are pushing for the buy clause to become active if Juventus qualify for any European competition. Despite this wrangling, a deal could go through shortly.

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The Blaugrana are also exploring other, potentially more lucrative destinations for Kessie, but Juventus remain the clear favourites to land the 26-year-old, with Max Allegri 'pushing' for his signature. The above-mentioned report goes on to say that Kessie would be open to staying at the Camp Nou.