Ivory Coast captain Kessie snubs Juventus to rejoin Atalanta

Ivorian international Franck Kessie, who was reportedly being courted by Juventus, has opted to rejoin Atalanta, his first European club.

"Atalanta is delighted to announce that it has signed Franck Kessie to a multi-year contract," the Serie A club announced on Saturday, without giving further details.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who has 104 international caps, captained Ivory Coast at the World Cup.

He was with Atalanta from 2015 to 2019 but effectively played one season in Bergamo after starting his time there on loan to second-tier Cesena and then joining AC Milan, initially on loan, in 2017. He eventually spent five seasons in Milan and one year in Barcelona before heading to Saudi Arabia.

Kessie was a free agent after leaving Al-Ahli at the end of the Saudi season in May.

Italian media reported Kessie had attracted considerable interest in Serie A, particularly from Juventus and Roma.

According to reports he turned down a two-year contract with an option for a third year at Juventus.

Atalanta, managed by Maurizio Sarri since this summer, won their Serie A opener 2-1 against Sassuolo and host Bologna on Monday.