Kessie's agent lifts lid on Barcelona salary reduction

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 28 Apr 2023 22:03 BST
• 3 min read

Franck Kessie’s agent has slammed the reports stating that Barcelona are looking to offload the midfielder.

Reports have circulated suggesting that the Catalans have asked Kessie to reduce his current salary and, after he rejected the proposal, have put him on the market.

But the player’s representatives have reached out to CalcioMercato to squash the rumours. They told the site: "These reports are groundless and harm the interests and image of the player.”

READ MORE: Barcelona transfer list FOUR players but Dembele safe

It means that the agents are rejecting the notion that Kessie is set to be offloaded by Barca and that they intend to keep him ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Indeed, reports from Spain suggest that Juventus is interested in acquiring former AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie from Barcelona, but they will face tough competition from other European clubs.

According to Sport, Juve is keen on adding an established midfielder to their squad and has set their sights on Kessie.

Barcelona, on the other hand, is in dire need of lowering their wage bill, and several first-team players may leave Camp Nou in the summer to raise funds. Although Tottenham was reportedly chasing Kessie during the January transfer window, there is more extensive interest in the Ivorian.

Inter linked to Kessie

Inter has also been widely reported to be interested in bringing Kessie back to Milan, possibly as part of a swap deal that may involve Marcelo Brozovic going the other way. Sport notes that Juve may offer some player-plus-cash deal for Kessie, but the specific player has not been identified yet.

Any prospective deal would require the approval of Barca coach Xavi, and any player who moves to Catalonia as part of the transaction must be a functional player who is ready to make an impact in the first team.