Franck Kessié wants to come to Juventus. That much, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, is beyond question. The Ivorian midfielder has placed every other offer on standby, opened to a significant reduction from the wages he commanded in Saudi Arabia, and made clear to his agent that Turin is his preferred destination. The obstacle — and it is a real one — is that the two sides are still some distance apart on the financial package, and Carnevali has made his constraints explicitly and unambiguously clear.
The Numbers: A Gap That Must Close
Juventus’s opening offer was €3.5 million net per season — a figure Kessié’s camp rejected without hesitation as too far below his level for a player arriving with the experience and pedigree of a Scudetto winner and World Cup veteran. The club are now preparing a revised proposal that could rise to approximately €5-5.5 million, the upper threshold of what Carnevali considers compatible with the squad’s internal salary structure.
From Kessié’s side, the original demand was a total package of around €10 million combining salary and signing bonus — a figure the club regards as simply incompatible with the new financial philosophy governing every decision at the Continassa. The positive development is that Kessié himself has demonstrably moved. The desire to return to top-level European football — and specifically to Serie A, specifically to Juventus — has led him to accept the principle of a significant reduction from the €8 million per year he earned at Al-Ahli. The question is how far that reduction can go, and whether the final figure sits within a range both parties can accept.
The Massara Factor: A Relationship That Changes the Equation
What gives Juventus genuine optimism in this negotiation is the role of Frederic Massara. It was Massara who originally signed Kessié for AC Milan and built the personal and professional relationship that underpinned one of the most decorated periods of the Ivorian’s career — a Scudetto, consistent European football, and the sense of belonging to a genuinely elite project. The trust between the two men is deep and real, and it is that trust more than any financial argument that has kept Kessié’s preference for Juventus firm even as interest has come from other quarters.
Kessié’s agent George Atangana has been expected in Italy in recent days for face-to-face discussions on the contractual details. The outcome of that meeting will go a long way towards determining whether a deal can be reached before the window advances too far.
The Wider Midfield Context: Sales Must Come First
As La Gazzetta dello Sport also makes clear, the Kessié deal cannot be done in isolation. Carnevali’s position is firm: before any meaningful midfield investment can be committed to, the logjam of unwanted or surplus players in that area of the squad must be addressed. Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, Arthur — all represent financial commitments that must be resolved before new ones are added. The principles of the Sassuolo method apply as rigidly here as anywhere else in the rebuild: clear out before bringing in, and never spend what you have not yet earned.
Kessié will come to Juventus if the price is right and the midfield exit door opens sufficiently. Both conditions are moving in the right direction — but neither has yet been fully met.
