Midfielder won’t join Liverpool or Tottenham as he seals Saudi Arabia transfer
Franck Kessie will not be moving to the Premier League this summer with the Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur linked midfielder swapping Barcelona for Saudi Arabia instead.
Depending on your perspective, the sudden emergence of Saudi Arabia as a major footballing force is either the cause of an existential crisis, or a manna from heaven.
If you are, say, a Barcelona, a Manchester United or a Chelsea, for instance, the Middle East has suddenly become a magical dumping ground for unwanted, overpaid players. Chelsea used those PIF connections to get Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante off an exorbitant wage bill.
Manchester United, meanwhile, raised valuable funds by cashing in on Alex Telles, with Fred potentially set to follow in his footsteps.
Franck Kessie leaves Barcelona for Saudi Arabia
As far as Barcelona are concerned, meanwhile, the only disappointment is that this Saudi revolution has come a few windows too late. How the La Liga champions could have done with big-money offers from Al-Hilal and co in 2021 and 2022, when they were desperately attempting to trim the fat from a bloated and financially-unsustainable squad.
As it is, Barca have still made a cool profit on Franck Kessie; accepting an £11 million bid from Al Ahli for a player who joined on a free transfer from AC Milan 12 months earlier.
According to 90Min, Tottenham held talks with Kessie recently. Liverpool was another potential destination, per Sport; Jurgen Klopp and co scouring the market for alternatives as Southampton hold out for £50 million for Romeo Lavia.
Kessie, a Serie A champion with AC Milan back in 2022 and a La Liga winner with Barcelona in May, now joins Mendy, Koulibaly, Roberto Firmino, Allan Saint-Maximin, Gianni Alioski and Riyad Mahrez in an Al Ahli side who would give many a team on this continent a run for their money these days.
Clement Lenglet, after Spurs opted against pursuing a permanent deal, could soon be joining his former Barcelona team-mate in the Middle East.
