What Tottenham must be willing to do to sign Franck Kessie
By Gary Pearson
If Antonio Conte is steadfast on signing AC Milan’s Franck Kessie, Tottenham must be willing to make a few concessions to get the deal done.
Kessie is refusing any contract offer from his current club, with the central midfielder unwilling to concede on his financial demands. It is reported that AC Milan offered Kessie about £5.5million to keep him in Italy. That would see him earn about £105,000 per week, an almost £30 000 per week increase from what he currently earns.
Kessie is adamant, though. He isn’t willing to budge on the offer and will not accept anything under £7.5 million, or about £144,000 per week.
It’s clear Tottenham are keen on pursuing the 25-year-old. Conte has made the Ivorian a priority and doesn’t want to wait until the summer when Kessie’s contract is set to expire. With increased urgency comes heightened stakes, which usually requires the buying team to up the ante.
Tottenham have reportedly offered Tanguy Ndombele as part of a swap deal with the financially embattled Italian club. Unfortunately those advances are said to have been repelled by AC Milan, who require hard-cold cash more than an overpaid, enigmatic, largely unproven Frenchman.
AC Milan currently has the negotiating advantage, but with Kessie’s contract set to expire it won’t last for long. Milan will grow increasingly impatient if they’re unable to complete a deal before the current transfer window closes, but for now, they’ll stick to their guns, forcing Tottenham to meet the Ivorian’s high wage demands.
And if AC Milan are unwilling to take Ndombele as part of the deal, the more probable outcome, Tottenham will have to fork out between £40 to £50 million to complete the transfer. That, of course, will be in addition to the £140,000 per week salary Kessie will earn.
That would put Kessie on the same salary as Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s third highest paid player. Only Kane (£200 000) and Ndombele (£200 000) earn more.