Franck Kessie open to Barcelona exit amid Serie A & Saudi Pro League interest
- Kessie made just seven starts for Barcelona in La Liga in his debut season
- The Ivorian scored a title-winning goal against Real Madrid but Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets limited his minutes
- Former club AC Milan among the clubs interested in agreeing a deal; Saudi Pro League sides also keen
Franck Kessie is open to leaving Barcelona this summer, 90min understands, amid growing interest from Serie A and the Saudi Pro League.
The 26-year-old moved to Camp Nou on a four-year deal last summer, arriving from AC Milan following the expiry of his contract.
Kessie became one of Milan's most influential players in his final two seasons at the club, scoring 13 Serie A goals in 2020/21 before winning the title in 2021/22, but has struggled to make the same impact in Spain.
The Ivorian did score perhaps the most important goal of Barca's season - a title-deciding winner against Real Madrid - but made just seven starts in La Liga as Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets made it difficult for him to command a regular first-team place.
90min revealed in December that Kessie had already started to generate interest, but neither he or the club were interested in sanctioning an exit at that time. But with Barcelona still looking to offload players to lighten their inflated wage bill, speculation around Kessie's future has failed to die down.
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Sources have confirmed to 90min that Kessie would now be open to leaving Barca this summer, with interest in his services mounting from former club Milan, neighbourhood rivals Inter and Juventus. Serie A title holders Napoli are also keeping apprised of Kessie's situation, while there's also interest from the Saudi Pro League as well as in the Premier League.
Barcelona's preference would be sell to Kessie permanently, rather than allowing him to go out on loan, which may work out favourably for the interested clubs in Saudi Arabia. The league has spent lavishly on players this summer - PIF-backed Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Alhi and Al Hilal the main landing spots - with Paul Pogba and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic the latest marquee names on the radar.
As for Barcelona, they've already released Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Samuel Umtiti from their contracts, but president Joan Laporta is also looking to sell other first team players. Winger Ferran Torres is a leading candidate to head for the exit door, but the 23-year-old is determined to stay at the club this summer despite interest from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Newcastle.
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