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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club wants to sign at least four players in the summer transfer window, and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessié is one player who is expected to move to the Camp Nou.
Kessié has already completed a Barcelona medical and signed a four-year deal with the Catalan giants, as reported March 22 by Fabrizio Romano for the Guardian. The Ivorian will move on a free transfer when his contract with Milan expires in June.
The 25-year-old’s former coach Massimo Drago has spoken out about Kessié and told Barcelona what they can expect from the midfielder if he does, as expected, join the club in the summer, as reported March 22 by Diario Sport.
“Although he can also play as a pivot, Kessié does even better as an 8. He is a midfielder, a box-to-box who can defend and attack with the same results for 90 minutes. Despite his great physicality, he has the technical ability to free himself and play in a few meters of space. He is a true wild card,” he said. “In Xavi’s 4-3-3 I see him better next to Busquets [or another pivot]. Playing in this position, Franck with Barcelona could score 8-9 goals per season.”
Drago worked with Kessié at Italian side Cesena, where the midfielder spent a season on loan from Atalanta. The Ivorian then joined AC Milan, initially on loan, before making the move permanent in 2019.
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Kessié ‘Will Be a Starter’ at Barcelona
Kessié will face intense competition for a place in the starting 11 at Barcelona, with Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Pedri and Nico Gonzalez also on the first-team squad.
However, Drago said he was confident that Kessié has what it takes to play regularly and force his way into Barcelona manager Xavi’s plans at the Camp Nou despite the depth on the team.
“I always say that Franck has the level, quality and experience to be a starter at Barça, as well as at all the other top clubs in the world,” he said. “He grew a lot in these seven seasons in Italy and also continues to have plenty of future promise at just 25. He has a monstrous personality, and it is no coincidence that at Milan he is the one who takes the penalties before a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The ‘rossoneri call him ‘The President.'”
Xavi Tipped to Improve Kessié
Barcelona’s move for Kessié may have surprised some, but it didn’t surprise Drago. Kessie’s former coach said he would be sad to see the midfielder leave Italian football, but he thinks the Ivorian could get even better working with Xavi.
“It would be a shame if – as it seems – he ended up leaving Serie A and Milan at the end of this season, but for Barça to sign Kessié as a free agent would be an extraordinary operation,” he said. “It is already a certainty, although with Xavi he could improve even more. Franck is a crack that would undoubtedly increase the level of the Barça squad.”
Barcelona’s tricky financial situation has led the club to target free agents in recent transfer windows. Eric Garcia, Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all arrived at the Camp Nou recently on free transfers.
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