"Never been as happy as he is now" - Agent rubbishes claims that Barcelona summer signing is seeking Camp Nou exit 

George Atangana, the agent of Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, has insisted that his client is enjoying life at Camp Nou, dismissing claims that the Ivorian is seeking an exit.

Having helped AC Milan to the Serie A title in the 2021-22 season, Kessie joined Barcelona as a free agent in the summer. He has not been a regular for Xavi, making only 13 appearances for the Blaugrana across competitions, starting only five of those matches.

In light of Kessie’s lack of minutes, Corriere dello Sport claimed that his agent Atangana had offered him to Inter Milan. Speaking to Calciomercato, Atangana cleared the air, revealing that the former AC Milan man was delighted to be at Camp Nou.

Atangana stated:

“Franck has never been as happy as he is now. He has achieved a goal that for many footballers remains just a dream, which is to play for Barcelona, and I defy anyone to say otherwise.

“Football has always taken him to wonderful cities: Cesena, Bergamo, Milan, and now Barcelona. All places where he and his family have found and are finding themselves wonderfully.”

The agent also addressed Kessie’s lack of opportunities at the Catalan club, insisting that it was nothing unusual:

“Nothing that we hadn’t already foreseen. It is clear that with time he expects to get more and more into the mechanisms, but we arrived in Spain and here the philosophy is different.

“Franck is adapting to a type of football that is new to him, he has always played in a different way. But this is certainly not what frightens him, on the contrary, these are all stimuli that are part of a process of growth."

He concluded by saying:

“It is only a matter of time and we are calm because the only fundamental aspect that concerns us is the consideration the club has for Franck. Everyone at Barcelona is very happy with the player."

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Barcelona have long been monitoring the development of Ajax’s 22-year-old attacking midfielder

Meanwhile, Ajax’s Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus has emerged as one of the brightest stars at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 22-year-old has impressed onlookers with his stellar link-up play and knack for the spectacular, scoring two excellent goals in a 3-2 win over South Korea on November 28.

Barca sporting director Jordi Cruyff has confirmed that the club have long been tracking the Eredivisie star, admitting that he was garnering interest.

Speaking on RAC1, he said:

“We've been tracking Mohammed Kudus for more than one year. We can't say now that Barça want Kudus... but he's attracting interest.

“He's scoring goals and in Holland, they discuss a lot about his position, so yes - I know him well.”

Kudus, who has scored 10 times and claimed two assists for Ajax in the 2022-23 season, sees his contract expire in June 2025.