Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly been chasing Franck Kessie for quite a while.
There was speculation about Tottenham signing the Ivory Coast midfielder from AC Milan last summer.
And when Antonio Conte took the reins in North London, he is reported to have specifically asked for the 25-year-old to be signed.
With his contract at San Siro expiring this summer, Kessie is set to be one of the most sought after free transfers of the next transfer window.
But according to Calciomercato, Tottenham won’t be in the reckoning any longer.
The Lilywhites signed Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus on deadline day and Enrico Camelio told Calciomercato that signing the Uruguayan means that Kessie will no longer be considered a target for the Italian manager, considering both players operate in a similar position.
He said: “I can guarantee you that Conte absolutely wanted Bentancur. He would have been satisfied with Kessie too, who at this point will no longer go to Tottenham.”
Honestly, Tottenham could probably afford to sign both.
That’s because Tanguy Ndombele and Gio Lo Celso both left Spurs on loan on deadline day and if neither return, well they’re still down a midfielder.
Conte is known to be a major fan of Kessie – likened to a younger version of Yaya Toure – and therefore it really wouldn’t be a massive surprise if he and Bentancur are both Tottenham players come the summer transfer window.
However, as mentioned, there’ll be a frightening level of competition for Kessie and nothing can be guaranteed.
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