Franck Kessie’s agent replies to Juventus CEO Giovanni Carnevali’s comment | OneFootball

Juventus CEO Giovanni Carnevali had suggested that Franck Kessie’s move to the club broke down because the Ivorian did not want the transfer badly enough.

Kessie had spent the summer dreaming of playing for Juventus after his three-year spell at Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, and he was certain that the Bianconeri would eventually sign him.

Juve needed more time to get some players off their books before making a move for him, allowing them to offer the midfielder a good salary. Kessie was prepared to wait despite several other clubs showing interest.

His agent also refused to speak to those teams because Kessie had made it clear that he wanted Juventus to be his next club. The midfielder appeared determined to complete the move and remained patient as the Bianconeri worked on their plans.

Juventus finally make their offer

Juventus did their best to complete the transfer and, towards the end of the window, finally made Kessie an offer. However, the proposal turned out not to be good enough for the Ivorian, who decided to reject it.

Within a few days, Kessie had agreed a deal to move to Atalanta instead. His decision led Carnevali to question whether the midfielder really wanted to join Juventus, given how quickly he accepted another opportunity.

Kessie’s agent, George Atangana, has now responded to those comments and explained why negotiations with Juventus eventually ended. He said via Football Italia:

“Franck Kessié waited for Juventus for weeks, even when one would have expected the dialogue to remain active within the financial sustainability parameters that had been established to finalise an agreement. Instead, it was only in the very final days of the transfer window that the club became willing to sit down and negotiate concretely.”

(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Kessie’s agent explains decision

Atangana insisted that Kessie had remained patient while waiting for Juventus to make their move. However, the situation eventually reached a point where the midfielder no longer believed an agreement could be reached on acceptable terms.

He added: “The decision to end the negotiations came when, faced with the rigidity and difficulties encountered, Franck felt that the conditions for reaching a positive conclusion no longer existed.”

The explanation suggests that Kessie’s decision was not simply about a lack of desire to join Juventus, but about the conditions being offered and the timing of the negotiations.