Inter Milan continue to track Barcelona midfielder for the summer – Romero

Franck Kessie finds himself in a difficult situation at FC Barcelona. The Ivory Coast international only arrived at the club last summer, but having failed to carve out a regular spot for himself in Xavi’s plans, the midfielder is being linked with an exit.

Rumours of a departure have been doing the rounds since January itself. Inter Milan had shown a keen interest in securing his services, but talks ultimately fell through as Kessie did not wish to leave the club.

But, the Nerazzurri have not yet given up on their ambitions of signing Kessie. Indeed, according to Gerard Romero, the UEFA Champions League finalists still remain interested in the Barcelona midfielder and are continuing to monitor his situation at Camp Nou.

Since joining the club, Kessie has made as many as 42 appearances across all competitions, scoring and assisting three goals apiece. However, he has started just six La Liga matches, indicating where he stands in Xavi’s preference order.

The former AC Milan midfielder has Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong ahead of him in the pecking order. On top of that, with Barcelona planning to sign Ilkay Gundogan and Lionel Messi in the summer, his situation will likely only worsen.

As such, Barcelona are hoping to cash in on him as a measure to help them achieve their Financial Fair Play requirements.

Even though Kessie is understood to be reluctant to leave, manager Xavi is planning on having a talk with him to convince him that an exit would be the best possible option for all parties involved.

And Inter Milan continue to lie in wait to try and swoop Kessie away. It has been suggested that Barcelona might hold out for a fee of around €25-30 million for the Ivorian. Whether the Serie A giants are willing to meet that valuation remains to be seen.