Barcelona fear €30 million-rated midfielder could push for free exit amid interest

Following the reports of growing interest in Franck Kessie from Saudi Arabia, SPORT is reporting that Barcelona fear that the midfielder could turn into another Memphis Depay case and push for a free transfer exit this summer.

Kessie has been heavily linked with a move to Al Ahli of late, with the Saudi Arabian club keen on securing his services. Reports have suggested that the 26-year-old has been offered a double-your-salary deal by the Middle East outfit.

Barcelona have been actively trying to sell Kessie this summer given their need to offload players and generate revenue.

Given that the Ivorian joined last summer for free, any fee that the Blaugrana receive for him would be chalked up as net profit for the club. As such, they have been demanding a fee of at least €30 million for Kessie.

However, according to the report, Barcelona fear that Kessie might angle to leave the club on a free transfer, arguing that the Catalans had not spent a penny on his signing last summer.

It was something Memphis Depay did earlier this year while he was on his way to Atletico Madrid. Ultimately, the Blaugrana did manage to get a nominal fee for the Dutchman, but he was pushing for a free exit for a long time.

And, the Blaugrana fear that Kessie could also resort to that strategy even though he has three years left on his contract with Barcelona. It could lead to him earning a potentially juicy signing-on bonus from Saudi Arabia.

The Catalans also believe that the midfielder might be closing in on an agreement on personal terms with Al Ahli.

Such a move would leave Barcelona without any revenue from his sale, which is the primary reason why they are looking to offload Kessie. So, there appears to be very little chance of the Catalans allowing such an operation to take place.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.