Barcelona midfielder definitively rules out January exit – report

Franck Kessie’s future at Barcelona has been put into question of late, but if journalist Toni Juanmarti is to be believed, the Ivory Coast international has no intention of leaving the team in the winter transfer market.

Kessie, 26, joined Barcelona in the summer after his contract with Serie A giants AC Milan ran out. Ever since arriving, the midfielder has struggled for minutes and is yet to get in the good books of Xavi.

It is not to say that Kessie has not performed well, but the issue is that Xavi has better options to choose from at the moment.

In that regard, it is evident that Pedri and Gavi’s positions are more or less fixed and although Sergio Busquets is in the final year of his contract, the manager also has Frenkie de Jong ready to roar.

This means Kessie has instead been used for the games that are of low importance. This includes his recent outing against Cueta in the Copa del Rey and as it turns out, the midfielder went on to score in the 5-0 routing of the team.

Given his situation, Kessie had been heavily linked with an exit this month. As reported before, Premier League side Chelsea recently expressed their interest.

It has even been reported that the Blues, who have been quite active in the transfer market, are ready to send Hakim Ziyech the other way in a potential swap deal involving Kessie. 

The player, however, does not want to leave Barcelona at least until the end of the season. In recent hours, the player has communicated the same with the coaching staff who are, in fact, looking forward to having him, especially during the upcoming round of fixtures.

The player understands the situation is tough but there is not a lot anyone can do and will keep fighting for his spot in the side. So, as things stand, Kessie’s exit from Camp Nou this month seems off the table.