Barcelona 'willing to cash in on Franck Kessie'

Barcelona are reportedly willing to cash in on Franck Kessie during the January transfer window.

When the midfielder become available as a free agent at the end of 2021-22, Barcelona won the hotly-contested race for his signature.

That is despite the delay that accompanied getting a deal over the line as the Catalan giants looked to boost their financial situation before registering players with La Liga.

Although the 25-year-old arrived at Camp Nou on the assumption that he would receive regular starts, he has been restricted to just five in Spain's top flight and the Champions League.

A further eight outings have come as a substitute, but the former AC Milan star has accumulated just 487 minutes for Barcelona this campaign.

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Being just months into a four-year contract, there had initially been little expectation that the two parties would go their separate ways as soon as January.

However, according to AS, Barcelona will listen to offers for the player over the next two months

Due to Kessie having signed on a free transfer, club officials are said to be aware that there is an opportunity to make a substantial positive impact on their financial fair play situation.

The report points out that any deal would not need to be amortized, allowing Barcelona to make an instant improvement with their books on the back of their extravagant outlay in the summer.

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Aston Villa are said to be among the clubs in the Premier League who are monitoring the situation, but it is alleged that no formal offer has arrived for Kessie from any club.

Earlier this week, Inter Milan were also credited with an interest in a player who helped their rivals AC Milan win the Serie A title last season.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently stated that the current top-flight leaders do not plan on making any additions in January, talking up the current strength of the squad.

Any exit for Kessie would also help free up space for Barcelona to finalise any contract negotiations with younger players, including full-back Alex Balde who is said to be in line to pen a five-year deal.