A highly-rated African star has reportedly agreed personal terms with FC Barcelona while on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Barca have been in the midst of a rebuild since manager Xavi Hernandez took over from Ronald Koeman in November, with the Spaniard having already brought in a couple of players, including Ferran Torres, who joined from Manchester City, and Dani Alves, who signed as a free agent.
The Catalan club has also moved on a few of their fringe squad members in the current window, with Philippe Coutinho having been offloaded to Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the season.
Scroll through the gallery below to see five fullbacks Barcelona are reportedly targeting
The Blaugrana's transfer business seems to not have slowed down, though.
AC Milan and Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, who is currently in Cameroon with his national team, has agreed personal terms with the Blaugrana ahead of a move to Spain at the end of the season, per Sportitalia's Gianluigi Longari.
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The midfielder is one of the most coveted players in the game, with reported interest coming from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.
Kessie is also believed to have no interest in signing a new deal with Milan, with the player said to want an annual salary of £6 million (R122 million), plus bonuses, in order to put pen to paper, an amount the Rossoneri are unlikely to be willing to pay.
The midfielder and his Ivory Coast teammates are set to take on Egypt in their crunch Afcon 2021 round of 16 tie on Wednesday evening.
Here are the 11 most valuable stars who featured at Afcon 2021, including Kessie
