Kessie dreams of playing for Man Utd

Cape Town - Manchester United may well have won the race to sign Franck Kessie after the Atalanta midfielder admitted it would be a "dream" to play for the club.

The 20-year-old has long been a target for Chelsea and Arsenal, with reported £25m offers from the two clubs rejected in January.

Everton, meanwhile, reportedly put in a £15 million bid that was also knocked back by the Italian side, while Roma are another club seemingly hovering over the talented Ivory Coast international.

While the Elephants endured a difficult AFCON in Gabon this year, Kessie was one bright light as a result of his performances in the centre of the park for one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, the young midfielder  said: "I did not hear any rumours around Roma, as I was at the Africa Cup of Nations and so focused only on playing.

"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."

Kessie has scored six goals in 20 Serie A appearances for Atalanta this season.