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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly contacted Barcelona over the possibility of signing midfielder Franck Kessie.
Kessie only joined Barcelona at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, after his contract at AC Milan expired. Despite this, though, Barcelona are looking to offload the Ivorian in the summer transfer window to raise funds in order to sign new players and comply with financial fair play regulations (FFP), and Spurs are keen on bringing him to north London.
Tottenham were already interested in January, and Spanish publication Sport believe they have asked Barcelona how much Kessie will cost in the upcoming window. According to the report, €25 million would tempt the Blaugrana, with the club preferring any sale to go through before June 30, in order to not fall foul of FFP.
Inter Milan are also interested, with Kessie said to prefer a move back to the Italian city and Serie A.
However, Barcelona are reportedly unconvinced an Italian club will pay what they’re demanding for Kessie, meaning a move to Spurs is likely.
Kessie has made 39 appearances for Xavi’s side in all competitions this season, but over half of them have come from the bench. With Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie De Jong all ahead of him in the pecking order, the 26-year-old is willing to leave Camp Nou in search of more regular first-team minutes.
Bizarrely, Kessie signed a four-year deal with Barcelona until June 2026, with his buy-out clause set at €500 million. The hierarchy at the club are willing to waive that fee to get him off the books, though.
Spurs are desperate for added creativity in central midfield, something they have severely lacked in this underwhelming season. With Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma, Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur all deeper in midfield, Kessie would have added licence to get forward and join attacks.
A box-to-box midfielder, Kessie would also still carry out his defensive duties diligently at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
