Franck Kessie has reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona for a free transfer in the summer. The AC Milan midfielder will be seeing out the remainder of the season with the Serie A club, and will then leave them as his contract expires.

Barcelona will offer €6.5 million per season for the Ivory Coast international, and the duration of the contract will seemingly be for five years. Kessie will be one of the four free agents that Barcelona will be signing, including Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea, and Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui.

Franck Kessie to join Barcelona in the summer

Xavi Hernández was key in the negotiations for Kessié to Barcelona. Franck’s more than excited – turning down two Premier League bids with higher salary to join Barça. 🔴 #FCB

Contract not signed yet but verbal agreement sealed, as reported by @gerardromero. pic.twitter.com/843Tyqi1Jb
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 15, 2022

AC Milan tried to extend Franck Kessie’s contract in the months prior to March, but they weren’t able to reach an agreement on the agent’s fee. Despite their financial difficulties, Barcelona are willing to meet the demands of the player and sign him in the summer.

The 25-year-old will be a great value signing for the Spanish giants, being valued at €48 million. His arrival will increase competition for midfield places, with Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Gavi, Nico and Frenkie de Jong all competing for spots in the middle of the park.

The player joined AC Milan from Atalanta in 2017, and over the five years, has established himself as a key player in midfield. The final agreement will be reached between the two parties once all the details have been agreed upon. But, it seems unlikely that there will be any announcement until the end of the season.