Reports: FC Barcelona agrees to sell first-team star –

Al-Ahli have closed a deal to sign FC Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie according to SPORT.

Relevo and The Athletic were among the first two sites to report that Kessie was close to joining the Saudi Pro League outfit on Thursday.

Later that afternoon, local outlet Okaz Sports added that Al-Alhi had reached a “total agreement” for the 26-year-old to continue his football journey in the Middle East, and SPORT say on Friday that Kessie’s exit is “imminent” because Barca have struck an deal to sell him.

Kessie has already passed a medical to join other new signings at Al-Ahli including Liverpool legend Roberto Firmino, ex-Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez, Champions League winner at Chelsea Edouard Mendy and Newcastle United fan favourite Allan Saint-Maximin.

It is believed that Kessie will sign a four-year contract until 2026, which will pay him a handsome €20 million ($21.9 million) a season.

For a player they paid nothing for as a free agent when his AC Milan contract expired in 2022, it was thought that Barca would receive a €15 million ($16.4 million) fee.

According to Mundo Deportivo, however, the figure falls between €11-12 million ($12-13.1 million) which will still help the Blaugrana in their current struggles to navigate Financial Fair Play limits.

Barca currently have only 13 players registered for the upcoming 2023/2024 season, with one of them an individual expected to follow Kessie, who also forms part of the small group, down the exit ramp.

Any day soon, Ousmane Dembele is expected to complete a shock €50 million ($54.7 million) transfer to Paris Saint-Germain which has left head coach Xavi Hernandez ‘disappointed’ and short-staffed on the right wing.

Yet the money freed up on the wage bill through Dembele and Kessie’s departures, plus that received from Al-Ahli and PSG, will aid Barca in their plight to register fresh faces including Ilkay Gundogan and also the new contracts of existing stars.

Kessie will be disappointed by not making more of an impact in Catalonia, but he was reportedly told by Xavi that his already few minutes would be further reduced by the arrival of ex-City skipper Gundogan.

Known as ‘The President’, Kessie has still etched his name into club folklore for a March stoppage time winner against Real Madrid in El Clasico which firmly swung the La Liga title race in Barca’s favour.