Who is Franck Kessie? The AC Milan starlet linked with a summer move to Aston Villa

Aston Villa have the ‘richest’ offer on the table for highly sought after AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie according to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato.

Kessie, 25, is set to be a free agent in the summer and is attracting interest from some of the top clubs around Europe including La Liga giants, Barcelona.

But reports suggest that Villa are currently leading the way with the most attractive proposal as they continue their search for an elite defensive midfielder.

With how hard Steven Gerrard tried to bring a player of that mould to the club during January, most notably Yves Bissouma, it comes as no surprise to see them looking at all possible options as we make our way towards the summer transfer window.

Bissouma is obviously well known by most due to him playing in the Premier League but would Kessie be an even better option for the claret & blue?

Here’s a little breakdown of the 25-year-old Ivorian.

Who is Franck Kessie?

Born in Ouragahio, Ivory Coast in 1996, Franck Kessie plays for AC Milan in Serie A.

He’s spent his entire professional career in Italy, starting off with Atalanta BC in 2015 before linking up with Cesena on a year-long-loan.

In 2017 he joined AC Milan on a two year loan with an obligation to buy with that option being taken up in 2019.

The 25-year-old has also already raked up over 50 international caps with Ivory Coast.

What position does Franck Kessie play?

Predominantly a central defensive midielder, Kessier has been utilised in numerous positions centrally.

This season alone has has played as both a standard central midfielder, a central defensive midfielder and a central attacking midfielder.

How tall is Franck Kessie?

Kessie is measured at 1.83 metres or 6’0.

What other clubs are linked with Franck Kessie?

High-profile journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed Aston Villa’s interest in Kessie via his YouTube channel but was also quick to note a number of other clubs that are interested in the midfielder.

“Pasquale Guarro reported about Aston Villa being interested in Kessie for the midfield and is a serious proposal from Aston Villa. At the moment it’s not advanced also at this point,” he said.

Barcelona are big admirers of the 25-year-old and are one of the teams that have already submitted official interest though it is still Villa’s offer that is said to be more attractive.

Romano also said that the claret & blue face competition from fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for the Ivorian’s signature.

Franck Kessie career statistics so far

Kessie has an impressive resume for someone still relatively early into his football career.

He’s made nearly 200 appearances in Serie A alone whilst also having experience in the Europa League, Champions League and elite international competition.

The 25-year-old has 286 appearances in club football in total, scoring 47 goals and providing 22 assists.

Kessie has also received four red cards to date - two straight red offences whilst the other two were as a result of a second yellow card.

With that said, his discipline has improved drastically of late. In the 2021/22 campaign, he only has one yellow card to his name and zero reds.

Kessie has six goals and one assist for Milan this season.

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