CONFIRMED: Barcelona sign Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie

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Barcelona have completed and confirmed the signing of Andreas Christensen, who arrives to the Camp Nou as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Chelsea, as well as Franck Kessie under the same circumstances from AC Milan. Both players have agreed to sign four-year contracts with the Catalans, with the buyout clauses contained therein set at €500 million.

The 26-year-old defender joined Chelsea at youth level back in 2012 from Brondby. Having had a two-year loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach, he made a total of 160 appearances in all competitions for the London Blues, helping them win the League Cup in 2015, the FA Cup in 2018, the Europa League in 2019, and the Champions League followed by the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021.

Christensen’s departure, in addition to Antonio Rudiger leaving for Real Madrid also on a free transfer, has caused quite a few problems for Thomas Tuchel when it comes to his defensive ranks. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta has also been linked with Barcelona, but a certain number of his appearances in the Blue shirt triggered a one-year extension on his contract and put the matter back into Chelsea’s hands.

As for Kessie, he spent five years at San Siro, making a total of 223 appearances, scoring 37 goals and producing 16 assists for the Rossoneri. The only trophy of his career so far was the Scudetto Milan won in 2021/22.

The 25-year-old Ivory Coast international will be officially presented as a new Barcelona player on Wednesday, July 6th, followed by Christensen’s presentation a day later.