Barcelona are set to navigate their way through a tricky summer transfer window, as they look to strengthen, bring back Lionel Messi and reduce their wage bill significantly in order to fit into their salary limit.
It means a number of players that otherwise would be likely to remain at the club are potentially on the market. The likes of Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and even Andreas Christensen have all been mentioned as potential avenues of revenue for the Blaugrana.
Another case is Franck Kessie. The Ivorian has been adamant that he wants to remain at the club, as has his agent, despite speculation about a potential departure even in his first season. Kessie has proven useful this season, with crucial contributions in two Clasico ties.
Yet there is no doubt that Kessie is one of their more useful assets, with several years on his contract, no fee to be ammortised, and a number of interested sides. Sport have linked Tottenham Hotspur with Kessie, and more recently Juventus, saying that both are waiting to see where Barcelona come down on his future.
For Juventus’ part, they will not seek to pay big money for Kessie, rather they will be open to swap deals. That may hinder any potential agreement, but asks the question as to whether that would make sense.
Barcelona have four clear needs for the summer; right-back, pivot, a back-up striker, and potentially a left winger. In terms of the former, Mattia de Sciglio and Danilo are both experienced options, and it may tempt them into to bringing in a natural right-back to fill the position. However neither are a long-term answer to the position, and are perhaps less useful than the cash they might get elsewhere for Kessie.
In terms of a pivot, the closest player to what Barcelona are looking for is Leandro Paredes, who the Old Lady are already looking to get rid of. He seems an unlikely choice to fit the bill.
Up front, Barcelona are in search of a young forward that can replace Robert Lewandowski long-term. Moise Kean, Arkadiusz Milik and Kaio Jorge are yet to show that kind of potential, leaving only Dusan Vlahovic – he would likely cost more than Kessie, and his stock has fallen over the last season.
On the left wing, a move that will likely only be necessary if two of Ferran Torres, Ez Abde, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele leave, Federico Chiesa and Filip Kostic would be the potential options. While Chiesa is a quality player, the same argument that goes for Vlahovic could be applied to him.
Kostic perhaps is the most useful option, if there are several sales, as a winger that would be able to provide width on the left side, something currently lacking for Barcelona. Even so, they would likely want some cash from Juventus and Kostic on a cut-price deal.
Overall, there are not many options that would appeal to Barcelona in the Juventus squad currently – or at least that fit their current needs. It seems they would be better off attempting to capitalise on Tottenham’s interest in Kessie if they are going yo attempt to do so.
