Tottenham make offer to sign Barcelona star who just joined the club in 2022 - Reports

Spanish journalist Alfredo Martinez reports that Tottenham Hotspur have tabled a bid worth just over €15 million to secure Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie's signature.

Kessie joined the Blaugrana in the summer transfer window on a free transfer from AC Milan, where the Ivorian midfielder had three great seasons under manager Stefano Piolo. He ran down his contract at the end of last season and took his services elsewhere to Barcelona in the summer.

The Ivory Coast international has registered 223 appearances across all competitions for Milan, scoring 37 goals and providing 16 assists.

However, Kessie is currently struggling to find game time at the Spotify Camp Nou under manager Xavi Hernandez. The midfielder has only made two starts this season in La Liga for the Catalans.

This has led to speculation over Kessie's future in Catalonia, with Spanish outlet Sport reporting that Inter Milan, Napoli, and Tottenham are interested in securing the midfielder's services on loan. It was also suggested earlier this month that the Lilywhites were in pole position to sign the Ivory Coast international in the winter transfer window (via Sports Mole).

Spanish reporter Martinez now reports that Tottenham have made an offer as well:

"There is an offer from Tottenham for Kessie of just over 15 million euros."

However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has now explicitly stated his intentions of retaining Kessie at Barca. Laporta said (via Team Talk):

“We are now convinced that Kessie and Bellerin will have more prominence in this second part of the season.”

This could prove to be a major setback in Tottenham's efforts to sign the Ivory Coast international.

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"I’ve never seen a winger at the same level" - Xavi lavishes praise on Barcelona star

Barcelona boss Xavi has heaped praise on Ousmane Dembele, insisting the Frenchman is the greatest winger he's seen at the Spotify Camp Nou.

The former Barca midfielder himself said (via Barca Universal):

“I’ve been with Barça for 25 years and I’ve never seen a winger at the same level as Dembele."

Dembele has had a great 2022/23 season so far in a Barcelona shirt. The France international has racked up four goals and five assists in 14 La Liga appearances. He has also had some success in the side's outings in Europe, recording a goal and two assists in six UEFA Champions League appearances.

The Blaugrana are currently first in the league table and will look to maintain their position as league-leaders with a win in their upcoming clash against Espanyol on December 31.