AC Milan target Tottenham midfield maestro Dembele

Bengaluru, January 3: Much bigger things were expected of AC Milan this season following the kind of business they did in the summer but in reality, the Rossoneri have flattered to deceive the football world.

However, the San Siro side are said to be still looking for quality players to improve their side and have targeted Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele to change the spine of the side.

This indeed would be an ambitious move given that Spurs are a team on the rise and Milan are the exact opposite.

The Belgian has been a regular at the North London club since joining from Fulham in 2013.

However, a persistent ankle injury has seen him make just 11 Premier League appearances so far this season.

And Corriere dello Sport report the Rossoneri are confident they could tempt Dembele into making the move to the San Siro.

Newly-appointed Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso is keen to bring in a new central midfielder to take the load off Franck Kessie, who has already accumulated more minutes this season than the whole of the previous campaign at Atalanta.

Dembele has been a stalwart for Tottenham but, at the age of 30, and with a plethora of options at Pochettino's disposal, a good offer might tempt the Lilywhites to sell their midfield maestro.

Milan's owners will sanction a January splurge as, despite their dire league form, they are still in contention to win both the Coppa Italia and the Europa League.

Milan start the New Year on the bottom half of the table whereas a top-four finish was probably the least expected ting from them after the heavy spending in the summer bringing as many as ten players for the first-team.

Vincenzo Montella has already been sacked and Gattuso has been appointed in his place but their fortunes have hardly changed.