Barcelona move ahead of Spurs in race for Kessie – meeting with agent planned

Franck Kessie’s future continues to be the subject of speculation and the player is reportedly aware that Barcelona have taken concrete steps to sign him.

Kessie is currently at the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast he will challenge Mo Salah’s Egypt in the round of 16 today, and if they lose that – or the quarter-finals against Achraf Hakimi’s Morocco – he should be back for the derby against Inter scheduled for 18:00 CET on Saturday 5 February at San Siro.

Then there is his contract situation. Calciomercato.com reports that his contract is due to expire in June with a salary of €2.2m and negotiations over a renewal seem to have come to a standstill. In addition to Tottenham and Atletico Madrid, Barcelona have also officially joined the race of interested clubs.

The Catalan side have asked for a meeting with Kessie’s agent George Atangana and will present their project. However, they must also make a concrete offer to the former Atalanta man who is interested in what Barcelona have to say and is aware they have ‘taken important steps’, and are now on pole to land him.