Al-Ahli submit formal offer to sign Barcelona midfielder - Reports

Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli have reportedly submitted a formal proposal to Barcelona in a bid to sign midfielder Franck Kessie.

According to journalist Gerard Romero (via @BarcaTimes on Twitter), the Blaugrana have received an offer of €20 million in transfer fees for Kessie. Al-Ahli are also willing to offer the Ivory Coast international a salary of €10 million.

While Barcelona's response to the offer remains unknown at the moment, they could be interested. Kessie has been linked with an exit this summer by numerous reports, with rumors suggesting that Liverpool were interested in acquiring him.

The Catalans' interest in Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozovic was one of the reasons behind rumors surrounding Kessie's future. Diario AS (via 90min) reported earlier this week that the reigning La Liga champions hope including the former AC Milan man in a deal for Brozovic might entice Inter to sell him.

However, Mundo Deportivo mentioned that Kessie will only be interested in a move to the Premier League. SPORT, meanwhile, suggested that he may move out of Catalonia as new sporting director Deco is a fan of his abilities.

It's worth noting that Barcelona signed the player on a free transfer last summer following the expiry of his contract with Milan. As a result, they are guaranteed a profit if they sell him this summer and the funds could help the club deal with their well-documented financial struggles.

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Franck Kessie had to settle for a bit-part role at Barcelona last season

Franck Kessie's arrival last summer was met with plenty of optimism among Barcelona fans. The Ivorian helped AC Milan win the 2021-22 Serie A title and was viewed as a bargain given he signed on a Bosman move.

However, Kessie struggled to break into the Catalans' starting XI, failing to displace Pedri, Pablo Gavi, Sergio Busquets or Frenkie de Jong when they were fit. It meant the 26-year-old started just 16 matches across competitions and averaged only 41.8 minutes per game across 43 total appearances.

To his credit, he delivered a vital last-gasp winner against Real Madrid in a La Liga clash at the Spotify Camp Nou in March. That 2-1 victory effectively sealed the title for Xavi Hernandez's men. He also netted two more goals and laid out three assists apart from that.

With Sergio Busquets departing the club at the end of this month, some believe Kessie could have a bigger role to play next season. However, Barcelona are rumored to be in the market for a Busquets replacement and have been linked with Dani Parejo, Martin Zubimendi, Sofyan Amrabat and Oriol Romeu.