Arsenal are looking at Franck Kessie as a potential midfield recruit who could partner Thomas Partey in Mikel Arteta’s team, according to a report in England.
The Daily Mirror is reporting that the Gunners have identified the AC Milan midfielder as a transfer target ahead of the January window.
The same article states, however, that Arsenal will face competition from their Premier League rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur for Kessie’s signature in the upcoming transfer window.
According to the same story, Manchester United are keeping tabs on Kessie seeing as AC Milan could be prepared to sell the Ivorian midfielder in a cut-price deal in January.
The report states that Arsenal will need to stop Manchester United and Spurs in order to land the Ivory Coast international in the upcoming transfer window.
The Daily Mirror highlight that Kessie is unlikely to sign a new long-term deal at AC Milan, and that is opening the door to a potential transfer in January or next summer.
The story reveals that the 24-year-old is looking to secure a contract worth €9m per year but AC Milan are only prepared to pay the box-to-box midfielder around €6.5m per year.
Arsenal and Manchester United would have the financial ability to meet Kessie’s demands without breaking their wage structure, according to the story,
Kessie – who has spent the past six years in Italian football with Cesena, Atalanta and AC Milan – has scored two goals in nine games in Serie A this season.
The Ivorian midfielder has netted 32 times in 196 games in all competitions since his move to AC Milan from Atalanta in 2017.