Tottenham ‘ask Barcelona to name their price for out-of-favor Franck Kessie’, while cash-strapped LaLiga giants want to relieve the midfielder to balance their books (despite only signing him last year!)
- Tottenham Hotspur have asked Barcelona to pay a price for Franck Kessie
- The midfielder looks like a player who could be sold by the club this year
- He has fallen out of favor with Xavi’s side after starting five league games
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly asked Barcelona to ‘give them an award’ for midfielder Franck Kessie.
The 26-year-old signed for the club in July 2022 and although he has made 39 appearances for the Catalan side, he has struggled to cement himself as a regular in Xavi’s first team having made just five LaLiga appearances this season started.
Tottenham Hotspur have long admired Kessie, most notably making a £13 million bid to sign the Ivory Coast midfielder in December.
While Kessie struggled to settle in at Barcelona, he turned down that approach from Spurs, as well as an offer to return to his former club A.C. Milan, and also turned down a pay cut, as the club wanted to free up some cash to re-sign Lionel Messi.
But according to SPORT, Daniel Levy’s squad has again inquired about the player and it seems that this time he could leave the club.
Tottenham have asked Barcelona to ‘name their price’ for midfielder Franck Kessie (pictured)
Daniel Levy appears to be looking for a new midfielder and has previously inquired about signing Kessie from LaLiga side
Xavi’s side must raise capital if they are allowed to compete in the summer transfer window
The Spanish outlet also said: ‘From the club [Barcelona’s] target is to finalize an outright sale and Tottenham have been asking for a price in recent days.’
It comes as cash-strapped Barca are looking to balance their books before the end of June, in a bid to ensure they can make new signings this summer and keep some of their key talent.
The LaLiga leaders are currently stuck with £1.33 billion (1.5 billion euros) in debt, are embroiled in a corruption case and must raise £177 million (200 million euros) to make transfers this summer.
Kessie’s departure could help ease the financial strain the club is facing, and according to SPORT, “Blaugarana’s aim is to secure an immediate sale” for the midfielder, despite only joining less than a year ago signed with the club.
Kessie (right) signed for Barcelona less than a year ago but has not found his footing
Kessie (pictured) came over for free from AC Milan alongside Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha
But the club look set to relieve him this summer as they aim to balance their books by June 30
The Ivorian was the first signing in a big summer hit from the Catalans, who also bought Robert Lewandowski for £42.5m, Raphinha for £56m and Jules Kounde for £56m, but initially struggled to register the defender.
Kessie came over from AC Milan on a free transfer, but he is struggling to strengthen his place in the team. He started just 14 times in 39 appearances in all competitions.
It is a far cry from his form in Italy, where the 26-year-old made 25 appearances for Milan last season in Serie A alone and made 39 appearances in all competitions before scoring seven times for the Italian giants.
Given regular playing time, he could become a key player at Tottenham, who are also eyeing several other midfielders, including James Ward-Prowse.