Barcelona plot swap deal for Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic involving Kessie

Rumours have been coming in hot over the last few days that Barcelona are interested in a summer move for Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.

Reliable Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Barca are exploring a swap deal involving out-of-favour midfielder Franck Kessie.

The Catalan giants are actively looking for a successor to Sergio Busquets, who is expected to leave Camp Nou when his contract expires next summer.

Brozovic was on the radar of Barca before he penned an extension with Nerazzurri last year.

The Croatian international has made an astounding impact at Inter over the last few years, playing a key role in the Scudetto triumph in the 2020/21 season.

He was also a central figure for the Croatian national team that reached the finals of the World Cup 2018 and the semi-finals in the recent edition in Qatar.

The 30-year-old put on a formidable display against Brazil in the quarter-finals of the World Cup 2022, with Croatia eventually emerging as winners via penalties.

Barca are planning to sacrifice Kessie for the Croatian deep-lying playmaker, with the former struggling to make his presence felt in his debut season in La Liga.

 The Ivorian midfielder arrived on a free transfer from AC Milan in the summer but has struggled to nail down a regular place in Xavi’s playing eleven.

Rumours of his departure have been circulating over the last few months, with Inter as one of the potential suitors.

Di Marzio adds that the chances of the deal rest upon the decisions of Kessie and Brozovic.

The Blaugrana have been linked with plenty of midfielders, such as Ruben Neves, N’Golo Kante and Martin Zubimendi, but Brozovic is a cut above the rest due to his experience and the fact that he is a like-for-like replacement for Busquets.

There is also a potential stumbling block in the deal due to Kessie’s past with rivals Rossoneri, which might prompt a lot of consequences if he moves to the blue side of San Siro.