Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly missed out on the addition of Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie.
The Ivory Coast international has only spent one year at Camp Nou, playing his part in the Catalan giants reclaiming the La Liga title after a spell of success for the two Madrid clubs.
However, while it was initially felt that the former AC Milan star would become a key man under Xavi, he made just seven starts in Spain's top flight.
With Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gundogan both arriving at Barcelona this summer, it has long been reported that Kessie had effectively been made available for transfer.
Kessie allegedly preferred to continue his stay at Barcelona, or move to a club in the Premier League where he is known to have a wide array of admirers.
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If reports are to be believed, the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotpsur have been monitoring the situation, aware that the 26-year-old could be signed for a cut-price fee.
Nevertheless, according to The Athletic, Kessie has instead decided to accept a proposal from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli.
The newly-promoted club, one of four teams controlled by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), are seemingly going to sign Kessie for just £12.9m.
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin, Manchester City playmaker Riyad Mahrez and Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino have already made the switch to The Royal.
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While Liverpool have other targets on their shortlist, missing out on Kessie is arguably a blow with deals yet to be struck for the likes of Southampton's Romeo Lavia and Fluminense's Andre.
As for Spurs, they are open to offers for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and acquiring the services of Kessie would have effectively represented their replacement for the Denmark international for a lower fee.
From Barcelona's perspective, selling Kessie will be viewed as a positive with the fee going down as pure profit in the books after his previous arrival as a free agent.
Ousmane Dembele's pending transfer to Paris Saint-Germain could see Barcelona generate in the region of £55m from the two sales by the end of the week, boosting the club's FFP situation ahead of the final weeks of the transfer window.
Darren Plant
