Ivorian midfielder and ex-AC Milan player Franck Kessie has now officially joined La Liga club side Barcelona on a free transfer, and the La Liga club made the confirmation of his arrival on Monday.

The 25-year-old joined AC Milan from Atalanta in 2019 and was able to lift the Serie A title last season. He ran out of contract at AC Milan and will now join Barcelona ahead of the preseason.

The Catalan giants have been linked with a lot of names this summer, but Kessie is their first official signing. The Ivorian international will earn €6.5 million a year which will rise with performance-based bonuses after passing a medical and signing the four-year deal.

Kessie initially had two different loan spells at the San Siro stadium before joining on a permanent deal. He went on to play 223 games, scored 37 goals, and provided 16 assists.

With his contract expected to run out in 2026, Barcelona has also placed a release clause of €500m on him.

Barcelona also officially sign another free agent, former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen. Christensen ran out of contract at the bridge last summer and seems like a perfect deal for the Blaugrana, who are cash strapped.

The 56-cap Denmark International has been offered a four-year contract until the summer of 2026 with a release clause placed at 500 million Euros.

Christiansen made 96 appearances for Chelsea winning the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Recently Barcelona reached an agreement to sell 10% of its TV rights in a deal worth a total of €267 million (£229m/$277m).

This will help the club pursue some of its targets, including Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Leeds United Raphinha.

Last week club president Joan Laporta confirmed that Barcelona had contacted Leeds United and submitted a bid for Raphinha on Thursday, stating that the player is ready to join the club.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu