Over the past month or so, there has been a lot of chatter about the future of FC Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie.
The Ivorian arrived at the club only a year ago and endured a difficult debut season where he found regular game-time hard to come by. However, Kessie did showcase quite a few positives in the limited opportunities that came his way.
But, with Barcelona needing to make sales this summer to resolve their Financial Fair Play situation, Kessie’s name has been touted as a possible departee, along with the likes of Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.
However, according to the latest report from SPORT, Kessie is now considered ‘non-transferable’ by Barcelona, courtesy of incoming sporting director Deco, who values the 26-year-old’s profile a great deal.
The sports department consider that Kessie’s profile is different from the rest of the midfielders on the club’s books and they do not wish to undersell an asset with great value.
Furthermore, Deco sees that the Ivory Coast international is a good footballer with a long contract. And the only way Barcelona would generate a salary margin from his sale would be from a very big offer, which is not forthcoming.
As such, the former midfielder turned director now wants to keep hold of the former AC Milan star as his exit would not solve the club’s FFP problems.
So, as things stand, Kessie, whose market value stands at €25 million, will not be sold by Barcelona nor will he be used in the operation to sign Marcelo Brozovic, with the Catalans offering €15 million cash for the Croatian’s services.
Kessie’s entourage is aware of these new developments and are certain to welcome the move as they were never really keen on facilitating an exit for the midfielder this summer. The 26-year-old has always wanted to stay put at Barcelona and succeed.
So, for now, Kessie appears likely to stay with the La Liga champions and the only way that could change is if an offer in excess of €35 million were to arrive at some stage in the summer.