Manchester United are among a few top European clubs tracking the situation of midfielder Franck Kessie at AC Milan, as per reports.
The Ivory Coast international, 24, has a contract at AC Milan that expires at the end of the season, meaning he is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with non-Italian clubs from January 1 onwards. There is nothing to suggest a contract renewal is imminent and his potential free agency status next summer hasn’t gone unnoticed.
According to TransferMarketWeb, Manchester United are keen on signing Franck Kessie but will have to fend off interest from Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona for his signature in 2022.
Kessie joined AC Milan initially on a two-year loan deal from Atalanta in the summer of 2017 with a buy obligation for the Rossoneri two years later. In recent years, he has developed into one of the best midfielders in Serie A and helped his club finish second on the Serie A table last season, with Milan qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in eight years.
The Ivorian has racked up 193 appearances across all competitions for the Rossoneri, supplying 31 goals and 15 assists in the process. He has been at the heart of Milan’s rise to the top of the table this term, with Stefano Pioli’s side unbeaten in the league, winning nine and drawing one to date.
Franck Kessie to Manchester United – The missing piece of the jigsaw?
As for Manchester United, they don’t have a cultured defensive midfielder beyond the ageing Nemanja Matic in the squad. Fred and Scott McTominay have worked well as a pair but when either of them is tasked with the job of holding things in midfield, they’ve failed to deliver.
Paul Pogba is in the final year of his contract and has shown no signs of extending his stay. If things stay the same, the Frenchman would be leaving Manchester United on a free transfer for the second time in his career. And then there is Donny Van de Beek, who is inching closer to the exit door at the club as he doesn’t feature in Solskjaer’s plans.
In that regard, Franck Kessie would be the ideal fit at Manchester United. A box-to-box midfielder, Kessie is also adept at playing as a holding midfielder and protecting the backline with his tackling, interception and ball-winning skills. The Ivorian is a combative player who is tenacious, can drive with the ball forward, create opportunities with his passing and vision and chip in with goals and assists.
The ex-Atalanta man is a midfield general to some extent, which Solskjaer currently lacks in his squad. Kessie would be an instant upgrade over Fred or McTominay, whilst arriving at Manchester United as a long-term Matic replacement.
At 24, the Milan star still has his best years ahead of him and his qualities are exactly what the Red Devils need at the moment. All in all, it won’t be wrong to suggest that Kessie could be the final piece of the jigsaw for Solskjaer’s side.
