Tottenham Hotspur have "burst into the bidding" to sign Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie and they could hijack Serie A giants Juventus, according to reports.
Who will Spurs sign?
Alongside the possible addition of a central defender or two, which is rumoured to be a major priority for Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, the north Londoners could also sign a new midfielder.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has been a regular at Tottenham since he joined from Southampton in 2020, is realistically heading towards the exit door as Atletico Madrid push to sign him.
The La Liga side recently had a bid rejected for Hojbjerg, according to The Times (via SB Nation), but it is believed there is still confidence a deal can be struck for the Dane.
If he departs N17, Spurs will apparently scour the market for a replacement, leading to links with the likes of Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and, of course, Kessie.
The Ivorian, who only joined Barca last summer as a free agent last summer from AC Milan, has struggled for consistent starting places and there is a strong belief Xavi could let him go.
Tottenham are one of the sides to have been linked with a move for the 26-year-old who was once a San Siro star, and journalist Jordi Battle has an update on the matter.
The reporter, writing for Mundo Deportivo, claims Spurs have "burst into the bidding" for Kessie despite Italian giants Juve also making a push.
Massimiliano Allegri's side have made a proposal to the African to join them on loan with an option to buy, but Tottenham could hijack them as they storm into the race.
This comes as Barca apparently work to release Kessie this summer.
What's been said about Franck Kessie?
The former Milan star has been praised by sections of the media, including former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson, who once called Kessie an "amazing player" when commentong on his previous links to Tottenham.
"Kessie would fit the bill," said Robinson to Football Insider.
"He is strong, quick and effective at both ends of the pitch. He ticks a lot of boxes.
“There is no doubting that he is an amazing player. The question is, would he come in and command a starting spot? Hojbjerg and Bentancur have done extremely well. [Yves] Bissouma has struggled to get a look in at times.
“Would Kessie upset that midfield? Maybe but I don’t think it’s a certainty. It’s really important that Spurs sign better than what they already have."
Former Italy striker Antonio Cassano, meanwhile, showered with Kessie praise during his arguable peak years so far at Milan – even comparing the player to Man City legend and former Spurs coach Yaya Toure.
“I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality," said Cassano.
"He has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he is intelligent. I’m watching him carefully, against Roma he was devastating.
“He reminds me of the Yaya Touré of the best times. He is a different player, but in terms of impact. He is holding Milan’s midfield alone.”
