Newcastle United are reportedly interested in AC Milan central midfielder Franck Kessie. The Ivory Coast international joined Milan on a permanent deal in 2019 after spending two years on loan at the Italian club.
Franck Kessie is now a target for Newcastle United, while Everton are also reportedly interested in signing the 23-year-old midfielder, as per Tuttosport. Italian side Napoli are also interested in signing Kessie. The midfielder has made 122 appearances for the Italian side, becoming a key part of the side over the last few seasons. He has scored 12 goals and provided 9 assists so far for AC Milan.
His current contract with Milan expires in 2022.
Franck Kessie: Should Newcastle make a move for him?
Franck Kessie has had a decent spell with AC Milan and has become a constant fixture in the Italian side’s starting XI. The Ivorian is a hard-working box-to-box midfielder, who uses his energy and power to motor through the midfield area. Kessie is a midfielder who likes to dribble his way out of trouble, while he is also adept at building attacks with short intelligent passes.
He has averaged 41 passes per game in Serie A this season, with a pass completion rate of 88.1%. Kessie is also useful defensively, averaging 1.7 tackles per game, but he also commits the same number of fouls per game which could see a spike in the faster-paced Premier League.
The 23-year-old is a good link player, who can string together a few good passes to build attacks, while also being a powerful dribbler. Kessie is the kind of player that could win over fans at St. James’ Park, and shrewd signings like him could help Newcastle eventually compete for a European spot if they are given money to spend by the incoming new owners.
The Magpies’ current midfield options are nowhere near the quality needed to compete with the likes of Wolves, Everton or to an extent Sheffield United. Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff have blown hot and cold this season, while we haven’t truly seen what Nabil Bentaleb is capable of in Newcastle colours, or if he even has a future at the club after his loan expires.
The midfield area needs quality additions and lacks depth as well, which could be remedied with the signing of a player like Franck Kessie.
