In a recent report, Sport claimed that Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie is gathering interest from Turkey with Galatasaray hoping to recruit him on loan this summer. It is believed that the Turkish club are looking to recruit the Ivory Coast midfielder from the Catalan giants on a loan deal in this off-season.
Kessie’s Limited Role At The Nou Camp Last Season
Kessie proved himself to be an important member of Xavi’s squad but failed to nail down a regular starting spot at the Nou Camp. The 26-year-old made 43 appearances for Barca last season, netting three goals and earning three assists across all fronts.
The Ivory Coast midfield ace saw a lot of his game time come off the bench which could be why he only averaged 0.5 tackles, 0.4 interceptions, 0.4 clearances, 0.5 shots, 0.3 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per game in La Liga. He even distributed the ball relatively well after making 86.8% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
His current contract at the Catalan club will run out in the summer of 2026. Thus, there is no immediate need for Xavi to cash in on him during this summer transfer window.
Can Barcelona Boss Xavi Afford To Lose Kessie?
Kessie is a tough-tackling footballer who can time his challenges well to earn the ball back for his side when he is playing with confidence on the field. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed and is a good passer of the ball as well from midfield.
However, the Ivory Coast international is in dire need of more playing opportunities if he wants to get his career back on track.
At the moment, Barca boss Xavi cannot offer Kessie a regular starting spot at the Nou Camp. Thus, it makes sense for the Catalan club to allow him to leave on loan so that he can come back as a better version of himself next year.
Xavi can definitely afford to let Kessie go out on loan if he can bring in a new midfielder during this summer transfer window. Until then, the Catalan giants are better off keeping hold of him.
