Franck Kessie in action for AC Milan. (imago Images)
According to a report by Italian outlet La Gazzetta Dello Sport (h/t Daily Mail), Liverpool are ‘eyeing up a move’ for AC Milan midfielder, Franck Kessie. The Ivory Coast international is in the midst of a contract stand-off with I Rossoneri. He currently earns around £1.9m-a-year but wants around £5.1m-a-year in his contract.
With just 12 months left on his contract, Liverpool, alongside a number of other suitors, are alerted to his situation. Kessie came through the youth ranks at Atalanta but a loan move to Milan followed in 2017, and the seven-time European Cup winners then made it permanent later on. But is Kessie a player that a club like Liverpool needs?
The Reds can use a midfielder after Georginio Wijnaldum’s departure earlier this summer. The 30-year-old Dutchman left the Reds to join PSG as a free agent as his contract at Anfield expired. That has left a big Wijnaldum-shaped hole in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield that needs filling. He was, after all, a regular fixture in Liverpool’s squad.
The former Newcastle United man featured in an astonishing 51 games in all competitions for Liverpool last season. In fact, he made 237 appearances for Liverpool in his five years at the club, which is an ode to both his quality as well as his durability. Such an important first-team member needs replacing once they leave.
Do the Reds have the solution within their current roster? Let us analyse this situation. Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are two costly names that were on their sidelines from most of last season. The Guinean midfielder cost Liverpool £52.75m while the Reds paid Arsenal £35m for the England international.
However, their injury records are very poor at the club. This prevents Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain from being reliable backups considering there is no surety regarding their fitness. Curtis Jones is another option, but at the age of just 20, he should be eased into the squad rather than made to shoulder the burden of replacing Wijnaldum in the first team.
Hence, the club can use competition for Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, and Jordan Henderson in their midfield. Playing a 4-3-3 formation, Klopp’s team requires midfielders in abundance so as to keep up their intensity throughout the whole season. The aforementioned trio all had fitness issues last season as well, which could be a reason why Liverpool’s season got derailed.
In such an instance, they need quality players that can come in from the bench and rotate whenever necessary. Kessie is a player that, instead of just providing backup, can also compete for starts in Liverpool’s midfield. At 24, he also has room to develop into a better midfielder and can be a long-term asset for the club.
That point assumes even more importance when we realize that Keita, Fabinho, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and James Milner are all out of contracts in 2023. The Ivory Coast international, currently representing his country in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, also has just one year left on his deal, which could hand Liverpool an upper hand in any potential negotiations.
