Ah, Franck Kessie, the patient and persevering Ivorian midfielder at FC Barcelona. Poor guy, struggled to fit into Xavi Hernández's system in the early months. But did he give up? Hell no! He kept grinding away, waiting for his chance.
And that chance came. In football, anything can happen, like a teammate getting injured or suspended, opening up a spot for an underdog like Kessie. And sure enough, after the World Cup, Kessie's time had finally arrived.
He became a key player for FC Barcelona, bringing something new to the table, something that we often don't associate with the "Barça DNA."
Kessie's performance in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals was pure gold. He controlled the tempo of the game masterfully, knew exactly when to make those sharp attacking moves, and even scored a goal (or so he thought, until it was later attributed as an own goal).
Sadly, poor Ansu Fati accidentally blocked(he tried his best to get out of the way) Kessie's shot, denying him a brace. C'est la vie.
Now, according to Sport, FC Barcelona is not letting Kessie go anywhere. Xavi considers him a valuable asset, both on and off the field. Kessie's attitude is so commendable that he's won the respect of his teammates.
But wait, there's more. Financial "fair play" restrictions prevent FC Barcelona from beefing up its squad, so Kessie is even more precious to them. The club won't even entertain offers for him, despite Tottenham and Milan reportedly knocking on his door in January.
Barcelona might have some big plans for the summer. The word on the street is that they're looking to sign not one, but two midfielders, two attackers, and possibly even a right-back. That's a lot of new blood for a team that's looking to break into the next level.
But there's a catch. It seems that La Liga's "fair play" rules might put a damper on Barcelona's spending spree. They're not sure if they'll be able to pull off all these signings without breaking the bank and getting into trouble with La Liga.
So, what's their backup plan? Renewing the contracts of players they already have, of course. That's why you've seen Sergi Roberto's contract extension and why they're working on convincing Busquets to stick around.
They need to make sure they have some stability in the squad, just in case they can't bring in all the new faces they're dreaming of. But hey, who needs new signings when you've got trusty old Sergi and Busquets, right? 😂
In the end, it all comes down to whether or not Barcelona can convince La Liga to loosen the purse strings a bit. If not, they'll have to make some tough decisions about who to bring in and who to let go.
It's all a game of strategy and negotiation, and one thing is certain, we'll see a lot more of Laporta, and what he has up his sleeves in the coming months, the savvy lawyer and politician that he is.
And then you gotta hear this rumor from El Nacional, the return of Messi to Barcelona - a tale as old as time. Though it was initially ruled out by his father and agent Jorge, it seems that the possibility of a reunion is not entirely off the table.
Of course, it all comes down to one thing: money. Messi's entourage are said to have pushed him away from taking up the option of an extra term at PSG due to their reported desire to lower his wages.
You see, the Blaugrana are currently in a bit of a financial pickle, with a whopping €200mn ($213.4mn) wage bill to shave off by the 2023/2024 season, all thanks to La Liga's president Javier Tebas. It's the same pesky dude that didn't let Barca renew Messi in the first place.
Rumor has it that the wizard of economic levers himself, president Joan Laporta, is reportedly working his magic once again and he's ready to pull out all the stops to bring Messi back "home". Whether he can make the numbers work, however, remains to be seen.
The headline reads 'FC Barcelona Make Lionel Messi Genius ‘$100 Million Final Offer'
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