Real Madrid linked with €100 million French striker

The chance to sign a player of Franck Kessie’s quality on a free transfer comes by rare. Unsurprisingly, Barcelona saw it as an opportunity that could not be missed, especially given their inability to shell out large transfer fees.

The only problem, however, was that the club did not consider the pre-existing gold mine of talents in their ranks. Having a fully-blossomed Pedri Gonalez, an up-and-coming Gavi alongside a rejuvenated Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets, Xavi had no dearth of options in the middle of the park.

According to reports from The Athletic, there is a feeling in Barcelona that Kessie will never grow into an important player. There will be news about his exit in the summer, especially given that it would help ease the club’s financial position.

Kessie’s drought for minutes in Catalonia is not for a lack of talent but a situation of heavy competition. With his career heading towards a dead-end, the player himself does not see an exit with bad eyes.

Halfway through the season, the Ivory Coast international has only made two league starts for Barcelona and has come off the bench for short cameos on ten occasions. He has managed one assist in La Liga and has a further three goal contributions in the Copa del Rey.

Even on the few occassions when given a start, Xavi has preferred to use Kessie as a second-striker as opposed to a midfielder. By this point, it is obvious that the manager does not see the 26-year-old as a good fit in his system.

Not much has been spoken about his future so far, but there have been talks about involving the player in a swap deal with Inter Milan that would see Marcelo Brozovic arrive at Spotify Camp Nou.