Barcelona willing to get rid of midfielder previously linked with Manchester United for less than €30 million: Reports
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are reportedly willing to cash-in on Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessié, should a suitable bid come in for the player.
The 26-year-old Ivorain international has gone from hero to traitor among the Barca faithful after his disappointing performance in the Copa del Rey El Clasico defeat against Real Madrid
Kessie was among a couple of Barca players who were far from their best on the night, as they lost to Madrid at Camp Nou by 4-0. It wasn't the first time that the Ivorian would be putting in a below-par performance for Xavi Hernandez's side this season. In fact, he has been largely inconsistent since joining Barcelona last summer.
Kessie was among a couple of first-team players who were brought in by the Blaugrana during a very busy 2022 summer transfer window. While his transfer was met with huge expectations, judging by his time at AC Milan, Kessie hasn't been able to deliver the goodies at Camp Nou.
He has largely struggled to nail down a starting spot in Xavi's team throughout the season and has been used somewhat sparingly. The Ivorian has so far made a combined total of 32 appearances for Barca across all competitions. Only 18 of those have come in La Liga, while registering just 616 league minutes.
With the summer transfer window coming up, reports have it that the club could be willing to listen to offers for Kessie and have valued below €30 million. Should they get an offer within that region for Kessie this summer, it would be considered good business for Barcelona, considering they signed the midfielder on a free transfer.
The Ivorian had initially attracted transfer interest from the Premier League in January with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur making an attempt to sign the midfielder.
However, should any of the aforementioned teams re-ignite their interest this summer, Barcelona will be more than willing to do business, especially considering their current financial situation.
Xavi Hernandez responds to Barcelona's humiliating defeat against Real Madrid
Ahead of his side's La Liga clash against Girona, Barcelona head coach Xavi reflected on his team's 4-0 El Clasico home defeat against Real Madrid.
Speaking during a pre-match press conference, Xavi said:
"We’ve analyzed the reasons for the mistakes we made, especially in the first half. In the first half we had to be ahead on the scoreboard, you can’t forgive so much and when you forgive, Madrid are the team that make you pay most dearly for it.
On how his team will react to the 4-0 defeat, he said:
“We’ve turned the page and we’re focusing on La Liga. When we were knocked out of the Champions League we made a pact to win the league, it’s the fairest competition because it gives you the work of the whole season. We are focused on the eleven games.”
Barcelona will next take on Girona at the Camp Nou on April 10 in a La Liga home clash.