Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly make a move to sign Barcelona outcast Franck Kessie, who will be the first in line to leave Camp Nou when the transfer market reopens in January.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as a possible destination for Barcelona fringe star Franck Kessie, who will be forced to leave Camp Nou in the upcoming January transfer window.
The 25-year-old Ivorian midfielder left AC Milan on a free transfer last summer to join a cohort of players who were bought by debt-ridden Barcelona in the summer transfer window, signing a deal until 2026.
Despite being touted as a key addition to the Barcelona midfield at the time, Kessie has ended up as one of the season’s biggest failures, having been unable to establish himself as a first-team player yet. Things have not gone particularly well in Catalonia for Kessie, who is struggling with both form and fitness, as well as adjustment issues.
Kessie has been one of Xavi Hernandez’s least-used players so far this season and has obviously fallen out of favour under the Barca boss, having played just over 200 minutes in the league, and seeing under 500 minutes of footballing action across all boards.
As such, the club are willing to let him go during the upcoming January transfer window, with Xavi taking the decision to dip into the winter market for Sergio Busquets replacement instead of utilizing Kessie in that role.
The report adds that Kessie is fully focused on staying at Camp Nou and fighting for his spot, as well as turning the tables around for himself following a slow start with his new club.
But there’s no turning back from Barca’s end, who are ready to offload the midfielder for a relatively modest sum as it appears they are more inclined to alleviate his €5 million a year salary from their wage bill, while Pablo Torre’s emergence into the first-team picture means Kessie will be pushed even further down the pecking order.
Indeed, there’s no shortage of suitors in the market for Kessie’s services. Inter Milan, for one, are allegedly keen to bring Kessie back to San Siro on loan in January, while Premier League mid-tablers Fulham and Aston Villa were touted as having a serious interest as well, with the former even readying a formal bid worth €22 million to prise him away from Catalonia ahead of the competition.
However, there seems to be yet another suitor in the race: Antonio Conte’s Tottenham. Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Spurs were among the clubs interested in Kessie last summer before he ended up leaving AC Milan to join Barcelona on a Bosman transfer.
The Lilywhites eventually signed Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion in a big-money swoop. Although the club are stacked with options in the midfield department at the moment, the lack of control and consistency in tempo-setting in their performances show there’s still room for improvement.
With Kessie available for a cut-price deal, it could be an intriguing option for Fabio Paratici and co. as the Spurs hierarchy looks to further enhance Antonio Conte’s options to boost their top-four odds. It remains to be seen whether or not Spurs will revitalise their interest in the Ivorian enforcer in January.
