Tottenham is trying to do a deal to bring in Franck Kessie from Barcelona and has apparently instigated talks this weekend with Barca.
Kessie has long been on the radar of the Spurs. Indeed, it was claimed previously that Antonio Conte was ‘desperate’ to bring in the Ivorian midfielder while he was in charge. As we know, Tottenham’s January approaches for Kessie were rebuffed by Barca.
However, Sport now claims that Tottenham is back in for Kessie. And this time, Barcelona are willing to sell.
Kessie has had a decent enough season for the Catalan club but there is an acceptance internally that some sales are needed this summer.
It’s claimed by Sport that a bid in the region of £22m might be enough to land Kessie. Spurs are believed to have made contact in the last few days and are now in active talks to land the midfielder.
With no manager in place and Fabio Paratici having departed, it seems hard to imagine who is doing the negotiating for Tottenham right now.
But given Kessie has been on the radar for some time, this might simply be a case of Spurs finally following through.
TBR’s View: Franck Kessie would be a good buy for Tottenham
Given how long they’ve tracked Kessie, Tottenham fans would surely be intrigued to see how he does.
Kessie is a top player and has previously been labeled as a ‘very special’ talent. He is believed to be open to staying with Barca but if he’s forced to go, then Tottenham wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The Spurs desperately need some creativity from midfield. With Rodrigo Bentancur still out for some time, the addition of a player like Kessie makes sense.
At £22m, it’s not a huge fee either, and overall, it’s a transfer that should work for everyone.
READ MORE:
‘Just get rid’: Tottenham told its high time expensive flop is finally booted out the door
Former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton insists it’s time the club finally ‘get rid’ of an expensive misfit who is no longer seen in north London.
There is expected to be plenty of change again at Spurs this summer, with the arrival of a new permanent manager and likely a new sporting director following Fabio Paratici’s exit.
And with a new manager normally comes new players, with Daniel Levy expected to hand significant funds to whoever takes charge to improve a squad that has underachieved this season.
But with incomings certain, there are expected to be a number of outgoings too, and former record signing Tanguy Ndombele is expected to be one of the first outs.
The 26-year-old is currently on loan at Napoli but has struggled to make a mark on a side that recently won their first Serie A title in 33 years.
The midfielder has scored just once in 30 league games for the Naples side and only started eight times.
Indeed, a recent report suggested that Spurs have been looking into terminating Ndombele’s contract, a full two years before it expires.
The creative midfielder moved to north London in a £ 55.5 million deal back in the summer of 2019.
The time is up for Ndombele at Spurs
But when asked what his old club should do with the misfit when he returns from his loan stint, Hutton was fairly adamant in his response.
The Scot told Football Insider: “It just depends on what is going on in the background, what has been said if they have had enough.
“It has been really expensive, let’s not kid ourselves. From the wages to the fee, they are not going to get anywhere near that back.
“Of course, you would try and sell him but at some stage they might need to cut their losses and get him off the books, just get rid.
“Is it worth bringing him back for pre-season to upset the camp when you are trying to move it forward with a new manager?
That manager could be Julian Nagelsmann following reports of productive talks with Daniel Levy recently
However, Sunday’s Transfer Gossip claims that Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is now Levy’s preferred option ahead of the German.
Tottenham are back in action on Saturday when they head to Aston Villa in the fight for the European spots.
Leave a Reply