FC Barcelona's Franck Kessie celebrates scoring their first goal
Tottenham Hotspur target Franck Kessie is considered Antonio Conte‘s favourite potential signing, and the manager has a key advantage in the transfer race.
The Lowdown: Interest in Kessie
Journalist Alfredo Martinez reported that Tottenham made an offer of around £13.2m for Kessie at the end of December, while Inter Milan are also believed to be considering a move for the midfielder, as reported by CalcioMercato (via Football London).
The Ivorian only arrived at Barcelona in the summer, upon the expiration of his contract with AC Milan, but he has failed to cement a consistent place in the starting lineup, appearing for just 212 minutes across seven La Liga appearances.
The Latest: Conte eyeing Kessie
According to a report from La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), Tottenham are in the mix to sign the 26-year-old, who has been offered to many clubs by his agent, including the big Serie A sides.
It is also detailed that the former AC Milan star is Conte’s favourite target, and Spurs could have an advantage over the Italian clubs in the race for his signature, given that his reported £7m yearly salary that may need to be met is considered high by Serie A standards.
The Verdict: Get it done?
The 60-time Ivory Coast international may not have been able to break into the Barcelona team, but he showed more than enough signs that he is good enough to play at the very top level during his time with Milan, being lauded as ‘devastating’ by former player Antonio Cassano (via MilanLive).
Tottenham looked devoid of midfield creativity in their 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa last time out, with Rodrigo Bentancur missing out due to a muscle injury, and so they could do with another, more attacking option than Yves Bissouma and Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg.
That is exactly what Kessie could provide for Conte, impressing considerably with 13 goals and six assists in the 2020-21 Serie A season, while he also struck six last term, and given that he has been such an infrequent fixture in the Barcelona team, he could be available for a lot less than he is really worth.
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