Chelsea target reveals he ‘dreams’ of playing for Manchester United

Chelsea have been served a blow in their pursuit of Franck Kessie after the rising Atalanta star revealed he dreams of playing for Manchester United in the future.

Kessie, 20, has been one of the best young players in Serie A this season and his performances have been integral to Atalanta’s surprise season.

The Ivory Coast international, who has been dubbed the next Yaya Toure, was heavily linked with a January move to Chelsea and Roma and both sides are expected to firm up their interest at the end of the season.

However, United would now appear to hold all the cards if they were to pursue the powerful midfielder after Kessie revealed he wants to play at the Theatre of Dreams on a regular basis.

“I did not hear any rumours around Roma, as I was at the Africa Cup of Nations and so focused only on playing,” Kessie told Tuttomercatoweb, via Football Italia.

“I like the Premier League and in particular Manchester United, the club I dream of playing for. Chelsea? That is also a big club, nobody would turn them down, but I dream of United.”

The all-action midfielder has scored five goals in 20 league appearances for Atalanta this season, while also averaging 1.7 dribbles, 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.9 shots per game.

Of midfielders that have attempted at least 50 dribbles in Serie A this season only a handful has done so with a greater success rate than Kessie (66%).

For more stats on Franck Kessie, click here to visit his WhoScored player page