Tottenham have reportedly reignited their interest in FC Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, with Antonio Conte already facing competition from the likes of Aston Villa for the Ivorian.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the north London side will look to sign Kessie in the January transfer window as Barcelona now look open to offloading the midfielder just mere months after signing the 25-year-old on a free transfer from AC Milan.
As per the report, interest is high in Kessie with Villa, Fulham and Inter Milan all eyeing the Ivory Coast international, with Tottenham now joining the party for the Barcelona outcast as more teams continue to join the competition for the former Serie A superstar.
Barcelona are happy to keep hold of Kessie if no offer comes in for the midfielder in January, as per the report. However, with interest from big clubs now coming to the forefront, the Catalan giants could be tempted to sell the African dynamo to recoup some form of compensation.
With a reported weekly wage of £105,000, Kessie is one of Barcelona’s highest earners, and given how well-publicised the club’s financial problems are, it makes sense why the La Liga side could be tempted to offload the midfielder already, with Tottenham an ideal candidate.
Indeed, Kessie was linked with Tottenham heavily before the midfielder ultimately decided to sign for Barcelona. Yet for Conte, the Italian manager’s biggest problem could be beating Villa to the 25-year-old’s signature, with Emery no doubt eager to make a big transfer in the January window.
Tottenham must do all they can to beat Emery to Kessie
Kessie’s time at Barcelona has been short but odd, with the midfielder already looking likely to leave the club despite Xavi Hernandez seemingly wanting to keep the former Milan star. Yet for Tottenham, they will be only thinking about beating Villa to the Ivorian’s signature.
With central midfield a position that Conte is keen to add to in January, Kessie would be the perfect addition given his style of play and athleticism. Yet beating Villa to the 25-year-old will be a hard task given how impressive the Premier League have been in the market in recent windows.
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