Arsene Wenger has put Mikel Arteta on alert not to repeat a similar situation to when Chelsea stole N’golo Kante from Arsenal, with Franck Kessie.
Chelsea signed Kante in 2016 from Leicester City, despite the clear interest from Arsenal in the same transfer window.
The Gunners are now reportedly interested in signing AC Milan midfielder Kessie, to solve the club’s midfield problems, but Chelsea have also previously registered interested in the player.
Wenger described Kante as being one of his biggest regrets, after failing to secure his signature, and Arteta must make sure he does not repeat the same story with Kessie.
The Mirror have claimed that Arsenal are interested in securing the Ivorian's services given he could be available for a cut-price in the January transfer window.
He has less than eight months remaining on his deal at San Siro and appears unlikely to extend his stay with the Rossoneri.
The Gunners have been linked with a few different central midfielders recently due to the current shortage in quality at the club.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are considered the club’s strongest midfield pivot, but both have been ruled out with injury throughout this season.
Kessie would be the perfect midfield partner for Partey and securing his services will not be expensive as Reports in Italy have claimed that the central-midfielder wants around £146,000 per week, with the serie A giants currently offering around £107,000 per week.
However, this deal is not a certainty for the Gunners, As per SportMediaset via Sempre Milan, the midfielder has 'long been' a target for Chelsea.
Despite the interest from the Blues, it is a deal Arteta must look to pursue or risk living with regret, similar to Wenger with Kante.
At just 24-years-old, Kessie already has tons of experience having played 182 games in the Serie A and scoring 37 goals which is very impressive for a midfielder.
He also has European experience under his belt having played in both the Champions League and Europa League for AC Milan.
This would be a major step in Arteta’s Arsenal transformation if they were to secure the services of Kessie, and it will prove to be a major dent if a rival club signs him instead.
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