"Tottenham were interested" - Fabrizio Romano claims Spurs wanted Barcelona star in the summer

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has stated that Tottenham Hotspur were keen on signing current Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie in the summer.

Kessie was notably a free agent during the summer after running down his contract with AC Milan. The Blaugrana, given their financial woes, moved quickly to secure his signing on a Bosman move, officially announcing his arrival on July 4.

Romano has now revealed that Spurs wanted to sign him before he joined the Catalans. He told CaughtOffside (as quoted by TBR Football):

“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.”

The Italian journalist further added that Serie A giants Inter Milan have held a long-standing interest in the Ivory Coast international. Romano stated, however, that Barcelona have no plans to let him leave in the January transfer window:

“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.”

'Tottenham were interested': Romano says Conte missed out on 'extraordinary' 25-year-old in the summer dlvr.it/SdpwBB

Kessie is yet to get an extended run in the team since moving to the Spotify Camp Nou in July. Prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the midfielder made just two starts in La Liga for Xavi Hernandez's side. He played a total of 13 matches across all competitions, averaging just 37.3 minutes per appearance, and scored one goal.

Comparing Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur's midfields among Franck Kessie rumors

Franck Kessie, as evidenced by his limited time on the pitch, faces heavy competition for a starting berth at Barcelona.

Teenage stars Pedri Gonzalez and Pablo Gavi seem to be undisputed starters for the Catalans alongside veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets. The Blaugrana also have Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Roberto and youngster Pablo Torre to deploy in the center of the park.

✅ Gavi
✅ Frenkie
⏳ Pedri

FC Barcelona's midfield is world class. 🌟 https://t.co/eMWAPnZs2K

Tottenham Hotspur also have quite a few quality options in midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have been two of their better players so far, with Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp. Bissouma notably joined Spurs only in the summer from Brighton & Hove Albion.

It's worth noting that both Barcelona and Tottenham were involved in a transfer during the summer. French centre-back Clement Lenglet left the Nou Camp to join Antonio Conte's side on a season-long loan.