Chelsea transfer news: Franck Kessie bid rejected with Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City interest confirmed
Blues fail with £21.5m bid as Atalanta hold out for £34m and agent reveals competition from Premier League rivals
CHELSEA have seen a £21.5million bid for Franck Kessie rejected by Atalanta.
And the midfielder’s agent has now confirmed the Blues face stiff competition from a number of Premier League rivals for his signature.
Kessie is highly rated in Italy after a breakthrough season and has already been dubbed the ‘new Yaya Toure’.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is keen to fill the void left by Oscar after the Brazilian agreed a stunning £52m move to China.
And box-to-box midfielder Kessie has emerged as the perfect target, with his dynamism and technical ability well suited to the Blues’ 3-4-3 formation.
But Conte will be forced to return with a higher bid if he wants to bring the Ivorian to Stamford Bridge, with Atalanta demanding £34m.
And agent George Atangana claims there is also strong interest from the rest of England’s ‘big five’ – although Chelsea remain in the driving seat.
He told ahead of a meeting with Blues chiefs next week: “We have a lot of interest from the Premier League – Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
“I cannot say at this stage how much he will cost but we are talking about one of the best young players in the world.
Related Stories
“But for us the most important thing is that the technical project is the right one for him. Franck is very young so we have to be very careful about his development.
“Chelsea are very interested and it is a great club but we must take our time to consider all the options.
“Now we are in January so he has to play at the African Nations Cup for Ivory Coast so I am not going to rush anything.”