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George Atangana, the agent of Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, has quashed rumors that the 25-year-old wants to leave the Catalans just months after joining them.
Kessie was among the seven players Barcelona signed during the summer transfer window. The Catalans acquired his services from Serie A champions AC Milan on a free transfer.
The Ivory Coast international joined the Camp Nou outfit with high hopes and put pen to paper on a four-year deal. However, the transfer has not gone according to plan for him so far.
Kessie has found playing time hard to come by under Xavi so far, having amassed just 418 minutes of action in all competitions. He has made 12 appearances for the Blaugrana this term, but seven of them have come from the bench.
This sparked rumors that the 25-year-old wants to seek a move away from Camp Nou in the January transfer window. Italian outlet Calciomercato.com [via Mundo Deportivo] even claimed that he has offers from several clubs, including Milan.
However, those reports are wide of the mark, according to Kessie's representative Atangana. The agent has dubbed claims that the midfielder wants to leave Barcelona as 'fake news'. He told Mundo Deportivo:
"They are fake news, totally false. Kessie is very happy at Barca. He's only been at the club for a few months and is still in the process of adapting to the team and the Barca style of play, which is different from other clubs, and, therefore, it takes time."
Atangana went on to point out how Kessie rejected other offers to join the Blaugrana in the summer. The agent insisted that the midfielder will carry on with his efforts to earn his place in Xavi's regular starting XI. He said:
"Kessie will continue working to earn a place in the team. He is not a player who gives up easily. He had other offers in the summer and bet heavily on Barca."
Barcelona have been knocked out of the Champions League
Barcelona succumbed to a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (26th October). They now sit third in their group with just points, having won one, drawn one and lost three of their five matches.
With Inter Milan sitting second with 10 points, the Catalans have been knocked out of the Champions League. Xavi's side are scheduled to face Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday (1st November), but they now stand no chance of qualifying into the Round of 16.
Barcelona, though, retain hopes of winning La Liga as they sit second in the table with 31 points from 12 matches. They are only one point behind Real Madrid.
