Franck Kessie’s agent has swiftly responded to the swirling rumors suggesting that the midfielder is set to depart Barcelona after allegedly being informed that he is surplus to requirements.

According to a report from Diario AS, Kessie is expected to be the first player to exit the club this summer, having been informed by new Barcelona manager Xavi that he will be sold for financial reasons.

The report further states that Barcelona has already received numerous offers for Kessie, but they are holding out for a minimum transfer fee of 35 million euros.

However, Kessie’s camp has vehemently denied these claims, as confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Speculation surrounding Kessie’s future has been circulating for some time, primarily due to his lack of consistent starting opportunities in his debut season at Barcelona. Additionally, Barcelona could potentially secure a handsome profit from the Ivorian midfielder, considering that he arrived as a free agent last summer.

During his time at Barcelona, the former AC Milan player has made 43 appearances across all competitions, but has only been in the starting lineup on 16 occasions, managing to find the back of the net three times for the Catalan giants.

As Barcelona aims to offload players this summer, the likes of Kessie, Eric Garcia, Ansu Fati, and Ferran Torres have been mentioned as potential departures. However, as things currently stand, it appears that none of these four players have expressed a desire to leave the club.