Ahead of the January transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with another name from the Serie A - only this time it's not Milan Skriniar...

What's the word?

According to Calciomercato.it, Spurs are considering a move for A.C. Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, though the Italian giants aren't expected to sell him for much less than €50m (£45m).

North London arch-rivals Arsenal are too keen on the 23-year-old powerhouse whilst last year, Wolverhampton Wanderers very nearly secured his signature in a €28m (£25m) deal, but Kessie rejected a chance to move to Molineux.

The report suggests that the Ivorian international is happy at the San Siro with the Serie A front-runners keen to extend his contract past 2022.

Imagine him & Hojbjerg

spurs-midfielder-pierre-emile-hojbjerg-in-uel-action

This means Spurs have to strike next month before it is too late, and in doing so, chairman Daniel Levy could hand Jose Mourinho the keys to one of the best midfield departments in the league.

Kessie has been reborn under head coach Stefano Pioli this season, delivering four goals and two assists from defensive midfield and also per WhoScored, the industrious monster is averaging 1.2 tackles, 1.2 clearances, 1.3 dribbles and 1.5 shots per game in the league.

Having him paired with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is a scary prospect, even more so when you consider the attacking rewards the Spurs frontline could receive, particularly in the no.10 role.

It could really be the making of a Tanguy Ndombele or a Giovani Lo Celso when either has got a strong double-pivot sitting behind them.

Former Milan boss Vincenzo Montella once lauded Kessie as an "extraordinary player" who possesses "sublime intelligence" whilst his agent claimed in October 2019 that he was one of the "untouchables" at the club.

Kessie would arrive in north London with shades of Mousa Dembele, that kind of drive from deep that can unlock the attack tenfold whilst he'd certainly be an upgrade on both Harry Winks (0 dribbles recorded) and Moussa Sissoko (0 shots recorded).

Levy must sanction a £45m move for the 6-foot box-to-box enforcer this January.

AND in other news, Exclusive: £100k-p/w Spurs star tipped to leave during January transfer window