The midfield rebuild at Juventus has taken a decisive turn. According to Tuttosport, Franck Kessié has risen to the very top of Carnevali and Massara’s midfielder shortlist — the number one priority in the engine room as the club works to add the physical presence, technical quality, and winning experience that Spalletti has been requesting throughout the summer.
Why Kessié Has Moved to the Front of the Queue
The Ivory Coast international has been free of club commitments since the expiry of his Al-Ahli contract, having turned down a two-year renewal worth €8 million per year to pursue his desire to return to Serie A. That decision — sacrificing enormous financial security in favour of a return to European football’s top level — speaks directly to the ambition that is driving the negotiation. Kessié does not simply want to play in Italy. He wants to play for a club that is building towards something meaningful. And in Carnevali and Massara, he sees the two figures most capable of delivering that.
The Massara connection is the central pillar of this entire pursuit. It was Massara who signed Kessié for AC Milan, who built the professional relationship during some of the most successful seasons of the Ivorian’s career, and who earned the deep personal trust that now gives Juventus a decisive advantage over any competing clubs.
The Wage Gap Still to Bridge
The negotiation is not yet concluded. As previously reported, Kessié is asking for approximately €5-5.5 million per year — a figure that sits above Juventus’s preferred ceiling but below the €8 million he earned in Saudi Arabia. Carnevali has so far tabled an offer of approximately €3.5 million, subsequently revised upward, with further movement expected as both parties acknowledge that a deal is genuinely within reach.
The absence of a transfer fee removes the single largest financial obstacle from the calculation. Massara’s personal relationship with the player and his agent further reduces the friction. With Goretzka also under consideration as a parallel option, Juventus have a degree of competitive pressure that may help accelerate Kessié’s decision — though the Ivorian has already made it clear that no club comes close to matching the appeal of playing under Spalletti in black and white.
What Kessié Would Bring
For Spalletti’s system, the qualities Kessié offers are immediately relevant. A powerful, dynamic presence across the entire midfield width, capable of covering ground in both defensive and offensive phases, carrying the ball with assurance, and contributing goals from deep — these are the characteristics that made him a Scudetto-winning midfielder at Milan and that have not diminished despite his time away from Europe’s elite club football. He also carries the kind of dressing-room authority and winning mentality that Carnevali explicitly referenced in his address to the squad on the first day of pre-season. Responsibility was the word the CEO used. Kessié is a player who has lived by it throughout his career.
