TOTTENHAM were ‘snubbed’ by Barcelona’s Franck Kessie as they explored a January move for the midfielder, according to reports in Spain.
Kessie joined Barcelona on a free transfer last summer from Italian giants AC Milan where he was a crucial first team player.
Spanish outlet Sport report that Antonio Conte’s side tried their luck with a move for the Ivorian due to his lack of minutes at the Nou Camp this season.
The Ivorian’s name was one of those heavily linked with leaving Barcelona due to their financial issues.
The report claims that at no time did Kessie consider cutting his time short with the LaLiga side but that did not stop Tottenham knocking at the door.
For Kessie unless he was told by Barcelona manager Xavi that he no longer counted on him then his plan was to always continue with the club as he was convinced his time would come.
The 26-year-old has only featured 12 times in LaLiga for the Catalan giants this season as they sit top of the table.
The Ivorian has scored twice for the club since his summer arrival, once in the Champions League and once in the Copa Del Rey.
The start of 2023 has been better for Kessie and after Sergio Busquets picked up an injury at the weekend the midfielder has an opportunity to stake his claim for a run in the side.
Tottenham are clearly in the market for a midfielder, the summer signing of Yves Bissouma from Brighton hasn’t gone to plan so far and Antonio Conte will be looking for reinforcements in that area to bolster the squad.
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Antonio Conte’s side had been linked with moves for Weston McKennie and Ruslan Malinovskyi but the pair subsequently joined Leeds and Marseille respectively.
The North London outfit signed right back Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon and Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villareal last month.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
