Franck Kessié to join Barcelona from Milan this summer on free transfer

Midfielder Franck Kessié will join Barcelona on a free transfer this summer after agreeing a four-year contract with the La Liga club.

The Ivorian, whose contract at Milan is set to expire at the end of the season, had already reached a verbal agreement with Barça in the last week. Kessié has now signed a deal with Xavi’s side until June 2026, and will receive a net annual salary of €6.5m (£5.4m), not including bonuses.

Kessié, who joined Milan from Atalanta on an initial loan deal in 2017 and has made more than 200 appearances for the current Serie A leaders, has also completed his medical and is expected to be announced as a Barça player imminently.

Barcelona are working on other transfer targets for the summer, with the Leeds winger Raphinha one name on their shortlist. There have been no discussions with the Premier League club about a transfer, but talks have been held with the player’s agent, Deco.

The former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder is close to Barça’s president, Joan Laporta. Raphinha, who missed Leeds’ win at Wolves on Friday after testing positive for Covid-19, is thought to be happy with the prospect of moving to the Camp Nou.