Barcelona have proven that under Director of Football Mateu Alemany and President Joan Laporta they are a club open to making aggressive moves in the transfer market, and that lends itself to all sorts of speculation.
Over the last few months, particularly in January, that Franck Kessie had suitors in Italy. Despite denials from Xavi Hernandez and in the media, Inter have been linked with the Ivorian regularly.
With Inter unlikely to be able to extract Kessie with a major offer, the suggestion has been that Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic might head the other way in a swap deal. The latest of these reports comes from CdS (as per Sport), who say that Barcelona feel that Brozovic would suit their style of play more, or at least more than Kessie. Their information claims both clubs are still interested in doing a deal between the two.
How much sense would it make for Barcelona to move for the World Cup semi-finalist though? In the case of Kessie, the jury is still out. Although Kessie has shown glimpses of the alternate qualities that he can offer Barcelona. Playing a secondary role in the first half of the season, injuries to Pedri and Sergio Busquets have allowed him into the side. Good showings against Villarreal and Manchester United in the first half at Old Trafford, demonstrated he can add ballast and some clever positioning to the side.
Equally, the following match against Almeria made it evident that Kessie still at times looks a little off the pace, struggling to impact the match.
Moving onto Brozovic, the Croatian is four years older than him. On paper, Brozovic does suit the ‘Barcelona style’ more, in that he more technically gifted at playing forward from deep than Kessie. He can also play as part of a deeper two, or as a lone pivot, whcih is potentially a problem position for Barcelona next season.
Brozovic looks adept at shutting down attacks early, although this is something Kessie can do. Allowing for the fact that Barcelona have been inconsistent in terms of their style this season, Brozovic might help them to control games more, while Kessie might be better in situations where Barcelona must battle their way through.
If Kessie cannot show his ability to make an impact before the end of the season, it might be worth moving for Brozovic. Kessie may well come good with more time, but Barcelona are ‘win now’ mode’, and with Sergio Busquets aging and a four-midfielder system being used, Brozovic could challenge for a starting place.
That said, if Barcelona do intend on purely bringing Brozovic for a rotational role, perhaps it makes more sense to hold onto Kessie with his ability to cause havoc for the opposition and hold the ball under pressure.
