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Report: Antonio Conte is a huge admirer of ‘very special’ 25-year-old Tottenham are pushing to sign

Lee Connor

Fri 30 December 2022 9:29, UK

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is said to be personally a big fan of Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, amid reports he could be signed.

Kessie has emerged as a target for Spurs in recent days with claiming that a £13m bid has come from Tottenham to try and land the Ivorian star.

Kessie only moved to Barcelona last summer but there has been some worries from the Catalan club that he hasn’t produced the goods like he did in Milan. And with Barca having financial problems, selling Kessie could be a quick way of raising some cash at the Spanish club.

And according to , Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is said to be personally pushing for the London outfit to sign Kessie. The Italian is said to hold Kessie in high regard on a personal level, and that could have some sway in pushing Fabio Paratici to move on with negotiations.

Kessie, 25, has been described as ‘very special‘ in the past and was linked with a move to Liverpool before signing for Barcelona instead.

Tottenham are expected to be one of the busiest clubs in the January window. As with the last couple of transfer periods, the club are expected to try and back Antonio Conte with new players.

TBR’s View: Kessie a risky option for Tottenham

Conte might like him a lot and who are we to question that judgement. But he’s hardly pulled up any trees since signing for Barcelona and there is a risk here for Spurs.

Suddenly signing a player who has effectively failed just six months into his big move carries risks. Certainly, given the importance of January signings, you’d have to question whether or not Kessie can hit the ground running.

Ultimately, Conte sees something in Kessie we might not. But in terms of improving this Tottenham side, the Ivorian would be a risky signing.