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Franck Kessié to Juventus

This move fell through. Last report: Fabrizio Romano, 29 August 2026.

Franck Kessié is a free agent after his deal with Al Ahli runs out, and Juventus have been working on this for weeks. A verbal two-year agreement with an option is in place, and the club accelerated hard over the past 48 hours, with direct calls from head coach Spalletti and director Massara to the player. No transfer fee is involved, so the only real number on the table is Kessié's reported wage demand of €8m per season. The stumbling block is the 29-year-old himself: he has not yet made up his mind. The sourcing here is as strong as Italian football journalism gets. Gianluca Di Marzio, whose credibility sits near the top of the market, confirmed on 28 August that Kessié has still not decided and that Roma are keeping their contacts alive. Fabrizio Romano had already reported Juventus accelerating and pushing to protect their advantage. Giovanni Albanese, who is tightly wired to Juventus specifically, added that the club will not raise their offer or change the terms of the pre-accord under auction pressure. The chance of this completing is real and meaningful, perhaps the most likely single outcome, but it is far from sealed. Juventus hold the initiative and a verbal understanding, yet Roma remain in the picture and two Saudi clubs are also believed to have proposals on the table. Juventus have drawn a clear line: the verbal pre-accord is the deal. If Kessié pushes for more, the club will walk. Everything rests on the player's decision. The comparable deals on file involve fees of €15m-€16m, which underlines that Juventus signing a world-class midfielder for nothing would

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