Chelsea are set to miss out on midfield target Franck Kessie this month following reports that the midfielder will remain part of Barcelona's squad until the summer.
The Blues have been the busiest club in the Premier League this month with Todd Boehly spending close to £200million on six new recruits. The U.S billionaire's overhaul of the playing squad at Stamford Bridge has a mixture of a view on the current campaign and long-term success at the club, but the priority has said to be a new midfielder.
Enzo Fernandez had been identified as Boehly's number one target since the start of the January window but a move failed to materialise because of a stall in negotiations. Brighton duo Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister have also been linked, with the former being the subject of a £55m bid.
READ MORE: Chelsea eye £106m Benfica raid for Enzo Fernandez to complete perfect January transfer window
With the transfer window approaching its final week, work behind-the-scenes in SW6 is expected to step up a gear in hope of providing Graham Potter with another option in midfield. In the recent 0-0 draw with Liverpool, natural left-back Lewis Hall partnered Jorginho in the middle of the park due to N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic's injuries.
However, like every transfer window, alternatives to Fernandez and Caicedo have been eyed-up in case moves never come to fruition. One player who has been mentioned is Barcelona star Kessie, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League after struggling in Spain.
The 24-year-old only joined the Catalonia club in the summer upon the expiry of his contract at AC Milan but has only started two La Liga games under Xavi. Reports had surfaced claiming the Spanish giants were open to selling the midfielder, with Onda Cero claiming Tottenham had made an offer in the region of £13million.
Now, any chance of Chelsea signing Kessie this month has been tarnished after reports from SPORT claim that he will remain with Barcelona until the end of the season. It's said that the player and club will assess where to go prior to the 2023/24 season, with Kessie's performances in the second half of the season set to be vital.
Kessie's preference has always been to prove his worth at the Nou Camp, despite interest from the Premier League and Inter Milan. The report claims Barcelona offered the defensive midfielder to Inter as part of their attempt to sign Croatian Marcelo Brozovic.
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