FC Barcelona's Franck Kessie celebrates scoring their first goal
Tottenham Hotspur‘s talks to sign Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie could begin in the coming days with a bid on the way, according to reports.
The Lowdown: Spurs shortlisting transfer targets…
Spurs’ sporting director Fabio Paratici and the club have reportedly got to work on drawing up a shortlist of potential summer targets behind the scenes.
Indeed, it is believed that a centre-back, a new goalkeeping replacement for Hugo Lloris and a midfielder could be high on the agenda at Tottenham.
Antonio Conte will see Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur ruled out for the majority of this year, meaning that Spurs may have to contemplate alternatives in the transfer market.
The Latest: Tottenham set for Kessie transfer talks…
According to reports in Spain (via Sport Witness), Tottenham’s talks to sign Kessie ‘could begin in the coming days’, with the north Londoners plotting to offer €30m (£26m).
Conte is believed have personally given the green light for the Premier League club to target the Ivorian, as Kessie is one of his ‘great wishes’ for the summer.
The Verdict: Great option for Spurs…
The former AC Milan star hasn’t had the best debut campaign at Barcelona, starting just four La Liga matches and struggling for consistent game-time. As per WhoScored, he is their lowest-rated player to start more than once in the league in 2022/23.
While Kessie and Barca don’t seem like a match made in heaven based on those figures, we believe that Tottenham could realistically offer the player a way out of Camp Nou.
The Ivorian would certainly be value for money if Barca are willing to entertain a £26m bid, with his past statistics at Milan detailing how colossal a presence he can be in midfield when at his best.
The £152k-per-week ace scored 21 goals and registered a further seven assists in all competitions for the Rossoneri from the beginning of 2020/21 to 2021/22 (Transfermarkt).
Described as ‘amazing’ by former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Kessie could add a significant offensive threat to Conte’s midfield, and it will be interesting to see if Barcelona are willing to sell the 26-year-old.
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