Barcelona midfielder set for Al Ahli medicals

Franck Kessié will undergo medical as the new Al Ahli player on Monday in Paris after the first that will see him move to Saudi Arabia was done. Al Ahli and Barcelona signed all the formal documents for Franck Kessié’s deal over the weekend.

The player then completed his medical tests in Paris as French forward Ousmane Dembele also finalized his move to the French capital club.

Frank Kessie has already been informed of his status as surplus to requirement for next season for the La Liga champions. The former AC Milan midfielder was a subject of interest from Juventus too, and after a preseason fixture between Barcelona and Juventus, Xavi mentioned Kessie’s status.

“Franck didn’t play due to a slight annoyance. As for his future, I can tell he knows exactly what the situation is.” Xavi said.

Meanwhile, the Saudi side are now focused on Roger Ibanez’s deal at the final stages, and Piotr Zielinski’s bid was sent to Napoli. Al Ahli presented a formal bid to Napoli for Piotr Zielinski as negotiations continue for the player, who is out of contract in 2024.

Al Ahli want to agree on a fee for Zielinski as soon as possible, or they will move on to Llorente, who is on their wish list.

Barcelona has also agreed a deal for Ousmane Dembele, who will join PSG this week; the Blaugrana also did some summer deals to bring in Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Manchester City.

The La Liga champions also signed youngster Faye Mikayil from Kusotsija in Croatia and Oriol Romeu from Girona.

Barcelona has a preseason tie against Tottenham on Tuesday at the Olympic stadium in Barcelona as Camp Nou is being rebuilt. After the fixture, they will face Getafe in their La Liga opener away from home.

Barcelona’s preseason has seen them face Arsenal, Real Madrid, and AC Milan in the summer, winning the latter two after losing 5-3 to Arsenal.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu