Romano says Tottenham were interested in Franck Kessie this summer

By Jordan Harris

Fabrizio Romano has told Caught Offside that Tottenham Hotspur were interested in signing Franck Kessie in the summer before his move to Barcelona.

Kessie is facing an uncertain future at Camp Nou. The Ivorian only joined the Catalan giants ahead of this season following the expiration of his contract with AC Milan.

His time with Barca has been underwhelming so far. Kessie is yet to complete 90 minutes in La Liga. And he has actually only been on the pitch for more than an hour once.

Tottenham were interested in Kessie in the summer

Romano has suggested that Kessie is determined to turn his fortunes around at Barca. However, there must be some part of the 25-year-old wondering if he made the right call – particularly with some of the other options available to him.

Calciomercato reported in January that Tottenham wanted Kessie. However, he opted to stay at San Siro until the summer.

And it seems that Spurs had another go at trying to complete a deal. Romano has now suggested that they wanted Kessie at the end of the season.

“Inter have always appreciated Franck Kessie since he was at Atalanta before his move to AC Milan, but right not there are no talks to sign him between clubs. His agent stated that he will stay in January; Kessie still hopes to do his best for Barcelona,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“Before he left Milan at the end of his contract, there were other opportunities – Tottenham were interested in signing Kessie, but it was never an advanced negotiation.”

Midfielder’s struggles may alert Spurs hierarchy

It is interesting that Tottenham seemingly had another look at Kessie. Spurs ended the January transfer window by signing Rodrigo Bentancur.

Bentancur quickly formed a brilliant partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. And he has kicked on once again this season.

So the fact that Tottenham looked again at Kessie is intriguing. In fairness, Antonio Conte’s side are now being heavily linked with a move for Weston McKennie. So it appears that Spurs remain convinced that they need more in the middle of the park.

Perhaps it should not be a huge surprise if Kessie – who has been labelled an ‘extraordinary‘ player – remains on the radar amid his struggles in Catalonia.