AC Milan director Paolo Maldini has ruled out a move to the Premier League for reported Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal target Franck Kessie this summer, speaking to Goal.
Having already lost Euro 2020 winner Gigi Donnarumma and star playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu on free transfers this summer – the former has put pen to paper with Paris Saint-Germain while the latter made a shock switch to rivals Inter – the Rossoneri are determined to avoid losing their midfield marvel too.
Kessie is out of contract in 2022 and, so far, negotiations over a new deal appear to have progressed at a snail’s pace.
And that hasn’t gone unnoticed either, with Gazzetta dello Sport in June claiming Arsenal were at the front of the queue for a man valued in the region of £43 million.
Kessie’s agent, meanwhile, claimed another London giant had expressed interest in the Ivorian powerhouse.
“There are two Premier League teams interested in him, including Tottenham,” Massimo Brambati told Tuttomercatoweb.
Will Tottenham and Arsenal miss out on Franck Kessie?
As far as Maldini is concerned, however, Kessie will be staying put at the San Siro – not just next season but for years to come.
“He will be part of the future of Milan. We are working on his renewal,” Maldini said while confirming Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud would be arriving in Italy this week.
With any Kessie deal seemingly off the table, Arsenal’s pursuit of a Granit Xhaka replacement goes on.
Fortunately, it seems Mikel Arteta is nearing a breakthrough in his pursuit of Anderlecht captain Albert Sambi Lokonga, with the hard-running Belgian agreeing a five-year deal at the Emirates.
Talks are also under way regarding a deal that would see Ruben Neves join from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers before the end of August, although his £35 million price tag poses a major problem (The Sun).
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