Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be considering a move for Barcelona's Franck Kessie, with Ange Postecoglou seeking midfield reinforcement amid Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's expected summer exit.
What's the latest on Kessie to Tottenham?
According to journalist Sean Walsh, the Lilywhites are currently holding discussions with the La Liga giants regarding a potential swoop for the Ivory Coast international, as well as former loanee, Clement Lenglet.
Writing on Twitter, the respected insider revealed: "Tottenham weighing up moves for Franck Kessie and Clement Lenglet. Talks taken place with Barcelona, separate deals. Kessie a long-term target, Lenglet expected to be backup option for Edmond Tapsoba/Micky van de Ven."
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In his attached piece for 90min, Walsh went on to add that the north Londoners have 'made enquiries' to Barca amid the prospect of adding Kessie to their ranks, with the 26-year-old – who is the subject of interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia as well as Juventus – believed to be open to an exit.
How good is Franck Kessie?
This interest in the former AC Milan sensation has come amid parallel reports that Spurs are closing in on a deal for Wolfsburg centre-back, Micky van de Ven, with it looking as if Postecoglou could be set to dramatically alter the spine of his team.
With the aforementioned Hojbjerg seemingly on his way to Atletico Madrid, it could well be Kessie – who is valued at €40m (£34m), according to CIES Football Observatory – who slots in ahead of Van de Ven in a deep-lying midfield berth.
Despite enduring a tough season at Camp Nou last time out, in which he started just seven league games, the 6 foot maestro had sparkled during his five-year stint in Milan prior to that, proving an "invaluable" part of the team at San Siro, according to former boss Stefano Pioli.
An asset with an array of gifts, Pioli also described Kessie as the "complete player", while going on to state: “He gives us physicality, energy, quality, protects the defence and knits the moves going forward too. He has this eternally positive mentality during the matches, he's the first to help out a teammate or reassure them."
Having operated in a wide variety of roles throughout his career to date, the Ivorian's prior experience as a centre-back could well allow him to drop into a deeper position if Van de Ven looks to bomb forward from the heart of the defence, with the 6 foot 3 Dutchman regularly looking to carry the ball out from the back as he ranks in the top 10% among his European peers for progressive carries per 90.
As Pioli noted above, Kessie is a player who "protects the defence", ensuring that the 22-year-old would not be left exposed as he attempts to adapt to life in the Premier League, with the two men potentially able to help bolster a side that shipped 63 league goals last season – the sixth-worst record in the division.
Following what has been a quiet last few weeks in the transfer market for Tottenham following an early flurry of business, the arrival of the Barcelona machine and Van de Ven could well prove an exciting double deal with the new season now on the horizon.
