Mauricio Pochettino appears to have taken Chelsea's search for a new midfielder into his own hands, identifying Franck Kessie as a target. The 26-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with an exit from Barcelona this summer after falling out of favour under Xavi.
Kessi, who sees his contract at the Camp Nou expire in 2026, featured 28 times for the Spanish giants in La Liga last season, averaging just 34.8 minutes a game in a title-winning campaign. In fact, the Ivory Coast international started only 13 games in 43 appearances across all competitions.
Despite his diminutive game time in Catalonia, Kessie has worked himself onto Chelsea's shortlist, according to Spanish outlet Relevo. The Blues are in the market for a new midfielder this summer following the departures of Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante.
With Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount expected to leave too, it's said that the west Londoners could even target a second midfielder to further bolster Pochettino's options. football.london understands that Chelsea hold a strong interest in Moises Caicedo, and they're aware that he could cost in the region of £80million.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the west Londoners are set to open talks with Brighton for the Ecuadorian in the next day or so. WIth Chelsea focusing on securing the signature of Caicedo, Kessie has seemingly emerged as the shrewd, secondary option who could cost just €30million (£25.9m).
Relevo claim that the Blues believe the Ivorian can adapt 'very well' to the Premier League and form a strong relationship with Enzo Fernandez. It's said that Kessie 'likes the idea' of playing in the English top-flight, however Stamford Bridge doesn't seem to be his first choice destination.
In 2017 when he burst onto the European stage, the former Atalanta star admitted that it's his dream to play for Manchester United. Speaking to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, as quoted by the Mirror, Kessie said: "I did not hear any rumours around Roma, as I was at the Africa Cup of Nations and so focused only on playing.
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"I like the Premier League and in particular Manchester United, the club I dream of playing for. Chelsea? That is also a big club, nobody would turn them down, but I dream of United."
While Kessie didn't entirely shutdown a future move to Stamford Bridge, he certainly left the door open for a move to Old Trafford...
