Franck Kessie will return to Milanello and head coach Stefano Pioli now considers him as having a dual purpose tactically, but in a few months he will need replacing.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Pioli now sees Kessie as capable of playing as a defensive midfielder and an attacking midfielder, but his farewell in the summer is more than likely and replacing him will not be easy. Kessie and Milan seem destined to separate in five months because the renewal negotiation has been stuck for some time and the two sides are not moving from their positions.
In the meantime, Kessie taking up a more advanced position in place of Brahim Diaz in the win over Empoli convinced Pioli that having a tactically flexible midfielder with attacking output and muscle if very useful, so much so that he is considering fielding him there against Inter to disrupt Marcelo Brozovic.
Kessie seems to still be important to Milan and to Pioli in the months remaining on his contract, clearly in agreement with the club who are believed to have had an offer in January, so the former Atalanta man will have his professionalism trusted.
In the meantime, Maldini and Massara are looking at how to replace him and they made an attempt to get Renato Sanches immediately, the most suitable profile to take over from Kessie. Lille held out, but Sanches’ arrival at Milanello in the summer remains very likely, although the deal is still to be finalised.
The question that the directors must answer is whether the Portugal international will be enough to replace Kessie, given the centrality of the Ivorian in all the tactical plans in recent years, but the feeling is that by signing him and welcoming Yacine Adli they will be close to having the right balance.
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