Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur appear to have moved ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Franck Kessie from AC Milan this summer.
Reports in January suggested that the Blues could look to tempt the Italian club into letting the midfielder leave in a swap deal involving Tiemoue Bakayoko, who has spent the season on loan at San Siro.
However, in light of Chelsea’s transfer ban that will last for the upcoming two windows, any pursuit of Kessie has been thrown into doubt.
This could lead the Blues to miss out on signing the Ivorian, with fresh claims from the Italian media indicating that their Premier League rivals have entered the race to sign him.
According to a report from Corriere dello Sport, as cited by Calciomercato, Kessie has emerged as a target for North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs, who are both out to strengthen their midfield options.
Chelsea appear to be powerless in preventing their close competitors from adding to their squads this summer but could suffer a blow should they miss out on another of their reported targets.
