Massara’s Kessie Connection Puts Juventus Ahead in Transfer Race | OneFootball

Juventus are the frontrunners to sign Franck Kessie from Al Ahli, with Italian transfer reporter Alfredo Pedulla identifying sporting director Ricky Massara as the decisive factor in the Bianconeri’s favour.

As Get Italian Football News explains, Massara worked with the Ivorian midfielder directly during his time at Milan and retains a strong relationship with Kessie’s agent – an advantage that neither former Juventus directors Damien Comolli nor Cristiano Guintoli could claim. Pedulla reports that Massara also attempted to bring Kessie to Roma during his subsequent spell there, underlining a sustained personal interest in the player that now carries real structural weight at Continassa.

January Contact Under Previous Management

Juventus did hold initial discussions with Kessie’s entourage back in January, but those conversations took place under the previous leadership structure before Massara arrived. The landscape has shifted considerably since then, and the sporting director’s direct line to the player’s camp gives this fresh approach a credibility the earlier contact lacked.

Kessie, currently with Al Ahli, is well known to Serie A audiences from his five-season stint at Milan, so any return would carry none of the adaptation risk attached to a first-time signing in Italian football. Kessie’s physicality and box-to-box output fit the profile of a midfielder Juventus have been targeting.

Whether Kessie Would Accept the Move

The outstanding question is whether Kessie himself would be willing to leave Saudi Arabia and return to Serie A. The primary source notes this remains open, and no financial terms or contract length have been reported at this stage. What Pedulla’s reporting establishes is that if Juventus press forward seriously, Massara is better placed than any rival director to make the case – and that is precisely why the club sits ahead of the field.