Liverpool are preparing to make an offer to bring Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie to the Premier League, according to reports.
Who is Franck Kessie?
The Ivory Coast international first arrived at Camp Nou from AC Milan last summer and has made a total of 43 appearances during his debut season, but despite his contract not expiring for another three years, he could already be set to depart.
The La Liga star only made seven league starts under Xavi during the previous term and was limited to largely substitute appearances having been brought off the bench on 21 occasions, as per WhoScored, so he’s significantly out of favour in the senior first-team.
The Blaugrana currently have ongoing issues with Financial Fair Play that need resolving so they are expected to cash in on some of their valuable assets during the upcoming window, and the 26-year-old appears to be one of the first on the chopping block.
Are Liverpool signing Kessie?
According to Spanish outlet Sport (via The Daily Mail), Liverpool are “set to make a bid” of £30m in an attempt to secure the services of Kessie this summer. Barcelona view the midfielder as “one of the possible options” that they could get rid of to help aid their money problems and the Reds are “willing” to table the specified amount above to bring him to Anfield to join Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool will know that Kessie hasn’t been given a fair chance to prove what he’s capable of this season, but having previously been dubbed a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Barcelona’s central midfielder could be a player worth taking a risk on.
The Champions League participant posted six goal contributions (three goals and the same number of assists) across all competitions last term and ranked in the 88th percentile for number of touches in the opposition’s penalty area by central midfielders, showing how he gets forward and impacts the game in the last third.
The Ouragahio native, however, is also strong in the defensive aspect of his game having won 60 per cent of his attempted tackles over the course of the previous campaign so isn’t afraid to get stuck in, commit to challenges and win back possession for his team.
Finally, Kessie would add wonderful versatility to Klopp’s squad having operated in five different positions since the start of his professional career, including four roles in the centre and even at centre-back, so he would be a great option for the manager to have at his disposal on Merseyside.