Reported West Ham target Franck Kessie could form a formidable midfield partnership with Declan Rice

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According to a report from Italian media outlet Milan Live, West Ham are interested in signing AC Milan Franck Kessie in January.

And if the Hammers are successful in their pursuit of the 39-capped Ivory Coast international, they could have a superb central midfield partnership for the next decade.

Declan Rice has been one of West Ham’s best, most consistent performers over the past 18 months.

And the 20-year-old and Kessie could strike up a formidable double act.

West Ham have a real lack of power and dynamism in the middle of the park. Mark Noble is not getting any younger, and strengthening central midfield has to be the priority for the Hammers in the next window.

Kessie has the ability to get up and down the pitch for the entirety of the 90 minutes. He is strong in possession, powerful when running with the ball and is a tenacious tackler. In short, he is ideally suited to the robust nature of the Premier League.

The AC Milan midfielder could be available for just €30 million (£25.6 million) in January, according to Milan Live, and that would represent outstanding value for West Ham.

Can West Ham actually get it done?

Whether the Hammers owners will back Pellegrini sufficiently in January remains to be seen.

Signing someone like Kessie for that kind of cash is an absolute no-brainer. But it might be hard to tempt him into a move to the London Stadium if West Ham are in and around the relegation zone. That’s why these next few matches before the turn of the year are so important.

Win  two or three games on the bounce and the table will look very different.

And signing someone like Kessie will not seem like such an unrealistic prospect. The thought of the Ivorian lined up alongside Rice is an exciting one. Come on Sullivan and Gold, make it happen!