Two Elephants are joining two big European clubs. Ivorian internationals Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller were presented on Wednesday by their new clubs: FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.
- Kessié to follow in Yaya Toure’s footsteps
Franck Kessié has joined Yaya Toure’s former club. The Ivorian midfielder became the second Elephant to pull on the Barcelona shirt on Wednesday.
The Ivorian midfielder was presented in Catalonia on Wednesday, two days after signing a five-year contract with the legendary Spanish club.
Franck Kessié was one of the priorities of coach Xavi, who has been free of any contract since his departure from Milan. The Catalan club’s first summer signing, Kessié has signed until 30 June 2026 and his release clause is set at EUR 500m.
2. Haller, a record transfer
Striker Sébastien Haller has joined Dortmund from Ajax Amsterdam to strengthen the German club, which has lost its star striker Erling Haaland to Manchester City.
Haller, 28, is making his return to Germany after previously playing in the Bundesliga between 2017 and 2019 for Eintracht Frankfurt.
“We are very happy to be able to recruit Sebastien Haller”
Sebastian Kehl – Dortmund’s new sporting director
He is “an experienced centre-forward who recently made his mark in the Champions League (11 goals in 8 games last season) but who also knows the Bundesliga well and has already proven his class and finishing skills there.
Ajax said they would receive €31 million for the transfer. The fee could rise to 34.5 million euros. This makes Sebastien Haller the biggest transfer in the German club’s history.
3. The coveted Elephants
The Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire have been in great demand this summer. Karim Konate signed for Red Bull Salzburg a few weeks ago after dominating the Ivorian league. On Wednesday, left-back Ghislain Konan joined Saudi club Al Nassr from Reims in France.
Serge Aurier is free of contract, while Eric Bailly (Manchester United) and Nicolas Pépé (Arsenal) are in the process of leaving for their respective clubs.
