We know that Juventus are likely casting a wide net to try and find low-cost opportunities on the transfer market this summer as a result of there being no Champions League football next season. That means if there’s a solid player out there and about to become a free agent in less than 48 hours, you can probably assume new Juve CEO Giovanni Carnevali has made a call to said player’s representatives.
One of those players is somebody we have written about on this website before during the summer months:
Côte d’Ivoire midfielder and former Serie A regular Franck Kessie.
We bring this up because Kessie, currently in North America for the 2026 World Cup and about to face Norway in the Round of 32 come Tuesday, gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of that meeting with Erling Haaland and Co. that involved a very understandable question about his future now that his contract Al-Ahli is about to expire. And what do you know? Kessie, a former employee of Atalanta and AC Milan, was very open about the fact that he has seen the reports of Juventus being interested in signing him and what he thinks he would bring to the table.
The quotes, in full, are as follows:
“I did see the talk about Juventus. I am focused only on the World Cup, but I will just say one thing: I would be a great signing. I’m in good shape, I’m playing at the World Cup, and above all I am a free agent, so what more could you ask for?!
“This is why so many clubs want me, and they are right. But for another five days, I am still a player of Al-Ahli. After the Round of 16, we’ll meet up and I can tell you something else. My agent is working on it, we’re receiving a lot of calls, and that’s to be expected. I too would sign me at these conditions, both physically and financially!”
(Source: Football Italia)
The rumors of Juventus’ interest in Kessie have gone back a few weeks now, but only seem to be gaining steam as the end of his contract in Saudi Arabia gets closer and closer. Tuttosport recently reported that Juve manager Luciano Spalletti has been “bewitched” by Kessie and the chance to sign him is quite intriguing. (Which, honestly, is just so a Tuttosport way of saying that Juventus are reportedly interested in him.)
There are many who think Kessie could be a player who could help solve some of the ills in Juventus’ midfield. He’s not the ultimate solution, but he would be a step in the right direction. But, as you can probably guess, there’s the matter of how much he would make with a potential move to Juventus considering the fact that he’s been reportedly earning a whopping €14 million a season in Saudi Arabia. That’s even more than Dusan Vlahovic has made the last couple of years!
Just how much Kessie would be willing to come down from that figure is likely the key factor here. No matter how much Spalletti may be “bewitched” (still a great word) by Kessie, this is ultimately a club with limited funds available and that is something Carnevali is well aware of by now. So is Kessie’s agent considering there’s been contacts between the two sides. Now we just see how it all plays out.
