Manchester United handed a boost as AC Milan fail to find common ground in Franck Kessie contract negotiations
According to the Italian outlet Grand Hotel Calciomercato (h/t The Express), Manchester United have been handed a major boost after AC Milan failed to reach an agreement with Franck Kessie over a contract extension. He is now in line to become one of the most sought after players next summer thanks to his current situation.
The Ivory Coast international will see his current contract with Milan expire at the end of the current campaign. Negotiations over a renewal have taken place for quite some time, but both parties have been unable to find common ground for now. The player’s camp is seeking a salary package of £7.5million a year, but Milan are reluctant to meet those demands.
The Rossoneri have made an offer worth £5million a year and club chiefs Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara seem hesitant to meet the 25-year-old’s demands. Hence, a departure appears to be on the cards at the end of the season. Man United could take advantage of this situation as they can legally reach a pre-contract agreement with him.
Summer opportunity?
This update should be the go-to sign that the Manchester board should be looking for in their pursuit to sign the Ivorian. Since both parties are at odds with each other and his contract winding down day by day, this could be a golden opportunity for us to prise a quality midfielder for free.
The midfield is an area that needs to be strengthened as we have failed to address the issue in the last two transfer windows. The duo of Fred and Scott McTominay is not the most dynamic of double pivots and their performances leave much to be desired. Meanwhile, Kessie could be perfect for us as he could instantly slot into the starting lineup.
But we are not offered a clear and easy path to land the Milan ace’s signature. Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona would pose heavy competition as they plan to use him to boost their squads. The Red Devils hierarchy would need to be on their toes and put this matter to bed by making him sign a pre-contract agreement at the earliest.
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The Ivory Coast international’s demands of a salary package of around £150,000-per-week are pretty reasonable for a man of his quality. His defensive contribution, coupled with his offensive attributes, makes him a complete midfielder who could instantly uplift our midfield.
The Rossoneri midfielder also has a knack for getting in on the goal involvement tally. With six goals alongside an assist this season from 24 matches across all competitions, his return is pretty good for a defensive midfielder. We have more than enough reasons to get this deal done, but only time will tell the outcome of this situation.
