Chelsea set to battle Tottenham for £36m-rated Serie A midfielder

Chelsea are interested in signing AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, according to Tuttomercato (h/t Sun).

The 22-year-old Ivorian joined the Italian giants in 2017 on loan from Atalanta and the club have to buy him after the spell, according to the report.

However, AC Milan are facing financial problems and the report claims that should the Italians fail to make it into the Champions League next season, Kessie could be sold to balance the books.

The report adds that Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the 22-year-old, and could cost close to £36m.

Chelsea spent big in the summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga and Jorginho, and we signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund recently.

The American will join us next season after finishing the current campaign with the Bundesliga leaders. Kessie is one of the brightest players in the Italian league and would make a decent signing for Chelsea.

The 22-year-old was brilliant during his spell with Atalanta but we haven’t seen the best of him at Milan.

We have mostly played with Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic in the midfield, and Kessie would add quality competition to the side.

Read more: Chelsea target £50m-rated Premier League star as an alternative for Gonzalo Higuain

The Blues could do with some reinforcements in January as we chase a top-four place, at least. We lead Arsenal by three points and need to play at our best for the rest of the season after losing pace with Liverpool.