Barcelona may be offered Juventus winger Federico Chiesa in exchange for Franck Kessie, with the Serie A giants keen on the midfielder.
In what could be one of the most surprising deals of the summer, Barcelona could trade Kessie, who they may look to sell, for Chiesa, in another swap deal with Juventus following the exchange with Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic in 2020.
A report from Calcio Mercato has claimed that Juventus are very keen on signing Kessie, and with Barcelona open to a sale to help their financial situation, a deal could be done between the clubs which could even see a Juventus star such as Chiesa come the other way.
However, Kessie is reportedly reluctant to return to Serie A, having left AC Milan a year ago, and this could provide a stumbling block in any deal.
Could Barcelona swap Kessie for Chiesa?
Given Kessie’s reluctance to join Juventus, a deal does seem way off as things stand, but if it were to happen, Barcelona may not believe their luck.
Although Kessie performed well last season, he barely featured as he was low down in the midfield pecking order, and the arrivals of Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu may mean even less game-time for the 26-year-old.
Chiesa did not have his best season for Juventus last season, but still produced four goals and six assists for The Old Lady. He showed his quality at the European Championships for Italy two seasons ago, but has struggled with injury since.
Nevertheless, the versatile winger is a top-class talent, and one that can be a hit at Barcelona. He has previously been described as “fantastic,” and it would be a steal if Xavi can land such a talented player by exchanging one of his backup options.
It remains to be seen whether such a deal materialises at all, but it may be an excellent option for Barcelona to consider.