Barcelona new signing on Aston Villa radar, could send €14 million offer

According to a report published by SPORT, Barcelona could have a couple of interesting offers for summer signing Franck Kessie in January. One of them is Aston Villa, who are ready to splash nearly €14 million for the Ivorian come winter.

Villa have recently gone a transition at the managerial helm. Steven Gerrard was sacked after a series of poor results, and Villarreal’s Unai Emery was hired to take his place on the sidelines.

The Spanish manager started his tenure with a win against Manchester United at the Villa Park, and has doubled his tally in the Prem today with a 1-2 win against in-form Brighton & Hove Albion.

Villa’s administration has never shied away from backing the coach financially and, thus, are interested in tabling an offer for Kessie.

They do face competition from within England, though, with the same report claiming that Fulham are also interested in the 25-year-old signature. Not only that, they could improve on Villa’s possible offer, by tabling a €22 million bid to Barcelona.

Reports previously have claimed that Kessie has no interest in leaving Barça in January. His agent, too, came out to shrug off the rumours, saying:

“Kessie is very happy at Barça and at Barcelona. He’s only been at the club for a few months and he’s still in the process of adapting to the team and the Barça style of play, which has nothing to do with the rest of the clubs, and, therefore, it takes time.”

“Kessie will continue working to earn a place on the team. He is not a player who gives up easily. He had other offers in the summer and bet heavily on Barça,” he added.

The former AC Milan midfielder has found it difficult to adapt to Xavi’s Barcelona, and has had to play second fiddle to a constantly rotating central midfield involving Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong.

Not to mention that he has also had a fair bit of injury trouble, most recently being ruled out till the end of the World Cup with a hamstring sprain.

If Barça end up selling Kessie, it will not be surprising to see Pablo Torre rise in the pecking order instead of the club going for another midfielder in January. A lot, of course, depends on the prestigious championship set to start next Sunday.