Barcelona complete signing of 25-year-old Serie A star - Reports

La Liga giants Barcelona have reportedly completed the signing of AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

The 25-year-old Ivorian's contract at the San Siro would have expired this summer. Barcelona have been tracking the player for some time. Gerard Romero (via Barca Times) has now revealed that the club have wrapped up the signing of the imposing and energetic Kessie, who will join the Blaugrana for pre-season.

Kessie's arrival is the continuation of the good work by manager Xavi who took over as Barcelona manager in November last year.

The Blaugrana were in ninth position in the league table and struggling to get going without their legendary forward Lionel Messi, who moved to PSG last summer. However, Xavi has overseen a huge turnaround at the Camp Nou, with the club now third in the league standings.

Xavi's January transfer business included the arrivals of Pierre Emerick-Aubemyang, Ferran Torres, Dani Alves and Adama Traore. All four have contributed massively to the club.

Kessie's signing would bring much-needed midfield steel to the team, with Sergio Busquets now in the twilight of his career. A defensive-minded midfielder has been a necessity for Xavi for a while.

The Blaugrana have been operating with financial constraints for a while. So the reported arrival of Kessie is a shrewd piece of business.

Barcelona to target more signings as Xavi's rebuild continues

Following the reported arrival of Franck Kessie, Blaugrana fans can expect to see more signings in the summer.

The club have long been targeting Borussia Dortmund goalscoring machine Erling Haaland. The Borussia Dortmund striker is one of the most sought-after forwards in world football. Barcelona, their La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Premier League giants Manchester City are three of many clubs chasing his signature.

Reports from Fabrizio Romano indicated that Xavi and technical director Jordi Cruyff met with the player in Germany to discuss the 21-year-old's potential move to the Camp Nou.

The club are also being linked with three of Chelsea's out-of-contract defenders. Cesar Azplicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have all been linked with the Blaugrana. The latter has been reported by multiple sources to have sealed a deal with the La Liga giants.

Fichajes has reported that the Blaugrana are considering bidding for Blues' goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga as well. He has played a part-time role at the Premier League side since the arrival of Edouard Mendy in the summer of 2020.

Xavi views the 25-year-old Arrizabalaga as a potential replacement for Marc Andre ter Stegen who could depart the Camp Nou this summer.

The Blaugrana manager is also reportedly on the verge of signing Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who is attracting interest from Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano, are in pole position to sign the Moroccan.