SPORTS: Chelsea open to swapping Ziyech for Barcelona midfielder, Kessie

Chelsea are open to a swap deal with Barcelona that would see Hakim Ziyech leave the Premier League club and Barca midfielder, Franck Kessie move in the opposite direction, according to reports in Spain.

The Blues want to sign Kessie from the La Liga outfit and are ‘open’ to a player-exchange agreement.

Just like in the summer, Barca need to sell before they can buy due to their financial position.

Chelsea plan to capitalize on the situation by signing midfielder Kessie.

With the departure of Memphis Depay to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona manager Xavi would embrace the idea of having a player in the mould of Ziyech having made it clear that he wants someone to alleviate the space left by Dutch attacker.

Although reports in Spain claim Barcelona are not considering thr option of a swap deal and would rather favour a loan agreement or separate deals due to their altercations with Financial Fair Play regulations.

Even then, there are doubts over this operation as Ziyech, for his part, has received offers from PSV Eindhoven and other clubs, whereas Kessie himself has shown no desire to leave Camp Nou in the middle of the season.

There is a chance that the Ivorian could be tempted by Chelsea, but only if the Premier League giants come up with a formal proposal. Either way, the likelihood of a direct swap deal involving Kessie and Ziyech might be close to zero.