Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie is closing in on a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli, sources have confirmed to 90min.
The Ivory Coast international only joined Barca from AC Milan on a free transfer last summer, and despite scoring a memorable last-minute winner against Real Madrid on their way to La Liga title glory, he was scarcely afforded extended chances at Camp Nou.
90min reported on Wednesday that Tottenham Hotspur had held talks with Barcelona over signing Kessie as well as teammate Clement Lenglet, who spent last season on loan in north London.
But 90min understands that Spurs are again set to miss out on a long-term target in Kessie as he has agreed to join Saudi outfit Al Ahli.
Barcelona had initially assumed that Kessie's preference was to remain in Europe, but they will now sit down to thrash out a €15m (£13m) with Al Ahli, who have also signed Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin this transfer window.
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Crucially, Barcelona will not have to pay a portion of Kessie's wages in order to get him off their books, allowing them further flexibility under La Liga's strict financial restrictions.
In addition to Tottenham, Juventus had also been eyeing Kessie and had made a tentative loan offer to Barcelona.
The Bianconeri have since turned their attention back to Arsenal's Thomas Partey, but the Gunners' €46.5m (£40m) price tag is proving prohibitive at this moment. Juve and other interested clubs could test Arsenal's resolve after the start of the 2023/24 season if he is not a guaranteed starter.
With the departures of Kessie and Ousmane Dembele likely to be confirmed in the coming days, Barcelona are set to make a combined €65m (£56m) in player sales for the duo and are now ramping up efforts to sign Joao Cancelo from Manchester City.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Al Ahli to beat Juventus & Tottenham to signing of Franck Kessie.
