Tottenham Hotspur could look to seal Franck Kessie in January by using Tanguy Ndombele as a makeweight, according to emerging reports...

What's the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato.it claim Spurs are keen on signing the 24-year-old midfielder from AC Milan, with his contract set to expire at the San Siro in the summer.

It means he is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club in January, though the north London outfit appear to want him then, rather than at the end of the season and could offer the wantaway Frenchman in return in a desperate attempt to shift him out.

The 44-cap Ivory Coast international, who is valued at €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory, has rejected Milan's proposals of a contract extension - their latest offer being reported at around €6.5m-per-year (£5.6m-per-year).

Bye-bye Ndombele

Ndombele's future was very much the talk leading up to deadline day.

In August, it's thought that the former Lyon maestro informed the Spurs hierarchy that he was open to leaving the club, having failed to feature in pre-season under Nuno Santo, as per The Athletic.

But by the time the transfer window drew to a close, Sky Sports News (via the Daily Mail) claimed that Spurs failed to find a 'suitable deal' to allow his departure.

If the 24-year-old club-record signing isn't committed to the club, then it could be wise to utilise him in a potential swap deal for Kessie, especially given his mooted £200k-per-week wages.

It's not as if he has lived up to expectations either, managing only eight goals and eight assists in 75 appearances as a box-to-box option in the engine room.

By comparison, Kessie found the net 13 times last season alone (and he also provided four assists), a feat that was only bettered by Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro, via WhoScored.

His form in recent times has earned lofty comparisons to his fellow countryman and former Premier League star Yaya Toure.

"I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn't lose the ball, he is intelligent. I'm watching him carefully, with Roma it was devastating," claimed former AC striker Antonio Cassano to Bobo TV (via MilanLive.it).

"He reminds me of the Yaya Toure at the best times. He is a different player but in terms of impact, he is holding Milan's midfield alone."

In addition to his exploits in the final third, Kessie also averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per league outing, via WhoScored, proving to be an industrious presence at either end of the pitch.

It's no surprise to see that he's also been described as "a complete player" by his current boss, Stefano Pioli. Those numbers certainly reflect that.

All in all, Spurs' sporting director Fabio Paratici should look to save face on their club-record man by trying to offload him for a direct replacement. On the above evidence, they'd be getting a better player for a fraction of the price.

The Premier League front-runners must secure the titan-like presence of Kessie in January, rather than waiting until the summer.

AND in other news, Spurs handed "frustrating" injury blow ahead of Premier League return this weekend...