Official: Kessie returns to Atalanta after nine years as free agent
Franck Kessie has completed a return to Atalanta as a free agent, bringing an end to a nine-year absence from the Bergamo club. The Ivorian midfielder originally developed at Atalanta before joining AC Milan in 2017, where he became a Serie A standout. He later moved to Barcelona in 2022 and then to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, but now returns to Serie A on a free transfer. Atalanta gain a physically imposing, experienced central midfielder without paying a fee, though the financial terms of the contract and his current match fitness remain to be seen after his spell in the Saudi Pro League.
Read the full story at football-italia.netKessie's homecoming is a feel-good story that also carries real squad-building value for Atalanta. They are getting a Champions League-experienced midfielder with Serie A pedigree at no transfer cost, which fits the club's well-established model of acquiring players whose market value has dipped but whose quality remains high. The key questions will be match sharpness after time in Saudi Arabia and how quickly he adapts to Gian Piero Gasperini's system, but the upside is considerable for a side that regularly competes in European competition.
Context added by Socc360, not by football-italia.net.
Data source: football-italia.net (via Socc360). Last updated .
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