Italian journalist Carlo Pellegatti claims Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessié wants to return to Milan, but the Rossoneri are not open to reuniting with their former star.
The Ivory Coast international joined the Catalans as a free agent in June, ending a five-year spell at San Siro.
However, he’s been struggling with playing time this season, collecting just 485 minutes across 13 appearances.
“I spoke to a friend of mine close to the entourage of Kessié and he was told that he [Kessie] would like to return [to Milan],” Pellegatti said in a video on his official YouTube channel.
Pellegatti is probably the most popular Milan reporter in Italy, having covered the club’s successes in Italy and Europe for over 30 years for Italian TV Mediaset, owned by ex-Rossoneri President Silvio Berlusconi.
“When Kessié joined Barcelona last summer, people who understand football much more than I do, told me that they are the less suitable team for him,” continued Pellegatti.
“These kinds of players are far from their mentality, Barcelona like players with different characteristics.
“It was sad to see him struggle as a full-back against Inter, running behind Robin Gosens who was crucial for a 3-3 draw. Then he got injured and I believe in psychosomatic injuries. It can happen, when someone is unhappy, it reflects on his body sometimes.”
However, the Rossoneri are not considering bringing their ex-midfielder back to the club, according to Pellegatti.
“As of today, the hypothesis [of his return] is remote, not to say impossible, even if it’s wrong to rule anything out in football. I believe Milan consider Kessié’s experience over in this moment.
“I don’t think Milan want to deal with his agent again. The rapport is cold, so the idea of negotiating with him again is not liked by Milan. Perhaps, also Atangana doesn’t want to talk to Milan.”
Kessié joined Milan from Atalanta in a €28m deal in 2017. He scored 37 goals in 223 appearances with the Rossoneri and was instrumental in winning their first Scudetto in 11 years in 2021-22.
He signed a contract until June 2026 at Camp Nou, while Milan didn’t sign a replacement for the 25-year-old in the summer, keeping Tommaso Pobega in the team following his return from a one-year loan at Torino.