Tottenham are at the front of the queue to sign wantaway AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, according to reports.
Several Premier League sides are keen on the Ivory Coast international, who is out of contract at San Siro next summer.
Kessie and his representatives will be permitted to hold direct talks with non-Italian clubs from New Year’s Day onwards.
He could even sign a pre-contract agreement with an English side ahead of a move at the end of the campaign.
According to the Daily Express, Spurs are looking to steal a march on their rivals for Kessie's signature.
The north Londoners are planning to make their move in the coming days, and they could even try to land the former Atalanta man next month.
If they are able to agree personal terms with Kessie, Tottenham could then offer Milan a fee in a bid to bring the move forward to January.
The 25-year-old has already decided to leave Milan, so it is just a matter of when his departure comes.
Spurs are not the only interested party, though, with Arsenal and Manchester United also sniffing around.
But Tottenham have already made contact with Kessie's representatives and they will hope to reach an agreement with the player before he holds talks with another club.
Central midfield is one of the areas Conte is most keen to strengthen as he seeks to lead Tottenham into the top four.
Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks have both impressed in recent weeks, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg usually starts when he is fit.
Tanguy Ndombele remains a bit-part player under the new manager, though, with the Frenchman having made only one Premier League start during Conte's tenure.
Spurs will move to within three points of the Champions League spots if they beat Southampton on Tuesday.
Even though Arsenal's game against Wolves was postponed, Tottenham will still have two games in hand on the Gunners ahead of the New Year weekend.
Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and save over a third on standard price.
NOW READ...
LIST FourFourTwo's top 100 football grounds in Britain
PREMIER LEAGUE Live streams: How to watch every game from anywhere in the world
