Tottenham reportedly proposed a swap deal with AC Milan made up of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso for Ivorian international Franck Kessie.
According to the Athletic, Spurs were eager to sign the Serie A midfielder as the club were working on offloading Ndombele and Lo Celso, with the duo offered to Milan for Kessie, whose contract expires at the end of this season.
A midfielder was on top of Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici’s transfer list this January, with the likes of Jesse Lingard and Jordan Veretout sounded out by Tottenham, as well as Kessie, who looked like the most intriguing option.
However, Spurs missed out on all three, with Milan rejecting the offer for Kessie, and Tottenham signed Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus for an undisclosed fee, with fellow Bianconeri teammate Dejan Kulusevski also joining on deadline day.
Ndombele, who was signed by Mauricio Pochettino for a club-record fee, was eventually loaned out to former club Olympique Lyonnais until the end of the season, with the French side having an option to sign the midfielder.
Lo Celso, on the other hand, was loaned out to Villarreal. The Argentine signed for Spurs for a reported £27m according to BBC Sport. And whilst Spurs were able to ship off the midfielders, Conte could be feeling that getting Kessie would have been the ideal outcome.
Kessie would have been dream midfield signing for Tottenham
A UEFA Champions League quality midfielder with age on his side, Kessie would have been an outstanding option for Tottenham this January and could have been the man to lead the club under Conte.
An all-around dynamo who excels at everything, Kessie can become a superstar in the future, and with his contract expiring in the summer, Tottenham could still make another attempt to sign the
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