According to reports, Manchester United are targeting AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie. The 24-year-old midfielder is out of contract next summer and is allowed to talk to foreign clubs and sign a pre-contract in January.
Recent reports have now also suggested that Manchester United have been handed a major boost in pursuit of their midfielder target. According to Daily Mail, Kessie has turned down the latest contract offer from AC Milan. The club’s new contract offered to Kessie was around £5.5m per year. His agent George Atangana has said that Milan’s contract offer is some way short of their salary expectations.
As things stand Franck Kessie has shown no intention of signing a new deal at the San Siro. Following this, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested in the Ivorian midfielder’s services.
Kessie has already spoken about his dream to represent Manchester United one day. The midfielder spoke about this in an interview back in 2018,
“I like the Premier League and in particular the Manchester United – a team I dream of playing in,”
“Chelsea is also a great club, no one would refuse it, but I always dream of United.”
Since his switch from Atalanta to AC Milan in 2019, Kessie has made 196 appearances for the Rossoneri’s. In this time he has contributed to 32 goals and chipped in with a further 15 assists for AC Milan. Last season alone Kessie has made 50 appearances in which he had 20 goal contributions. While at just 24 he also has 48 international caps for his nation.
Is Franck Kessie the perfect Paul Pogba replacement?
Just like Franck Kessie, Paul Pogba’s contract also ends in the coming summer. Following this, Manchester United look set to lose him for free again as the French world cup winner has shown no intention of signing a new deal at the club. While, he has emerged as a transfer target for European giants like Juventus, PSG, and Barcelona.
Manchester United could have a readymade replacement for the outgoing Paul Pogba in Franck Kessie. The Ivorian has averaged 4.39 interceptions per 90 minutes played. On top of that, he has also won 61.1% of the defensive duels he has contested in, while he has also registered an impressive 91.5% pass accuracy. [Stats via Whoscored.com]
Franck Kessie could finally end Manchester United fans’ cry for a ball-winning/ defensive midfielder and his underline numbers suggest that he can be the perfect fit for the Manchester United midfield. At just 24 years of age, Kessie can be the anchor of the Manchester United midfield for years to come.
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