Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 12:05 pm• Dominic Mostert

Franck Kessié has rejected an offer from AC Milan to extend his contract, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport. The midfielder would have said ‘no’ to an annual salary of 6.5 million euros. According to reports, he has his sights set on an annual salary of 8 million euros, plus 2 million euros in potential bonuses. Kessié’s current contract expires in the summer of 2022.

To prevent a transfer-free departure of the Ivorian, Milan must reach an agreement on a new contract. Both parties have been in talks for months, but Kessié does not seem satisfied with what Milan has to offer for the time being. There are now several clubs that keep a close eye on developments around Kessié. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports interest from Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain. The club from Paris would be willing to offer 8 million euros plus 2 million in bonuses.

Milan do not want to let another star player go on a free transfer after Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Çalhanoglu. There is also still a chance that Kessié will decide to stay longer at the San Siro. In July, he said he has no intention of leaving. “I want to stay here forever,” he even admitted. “The club has always known that I want to stay here. We have a fantastic group of players. We want to live up to the name that Milan has in Europe.” Reported a week before the transfer deadline passed calciomercato that Kessie turned down a chance to go to Tottenham despite Milan’s willingness to listen to the offer from England.

The 24-year-old central midfielder came over from Atalanta in 2017 and has since played 184 official games for Milan, scoring 30 times. Kessié is affectionately referred to as ‘the President’ by his teammates and Milan fans, as he is known as a leading figure in the dressing room. In the summer, Kessié was named as a possible new captain, but the choice fell on Simon Kjaer. “I love it when the fans sing ‘There’s only one captain!’ I want to spend my entire football life here,” Kessié said in July. He is currently sidelined due to a muscle injury.