Foot Mercato has revealed that Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has resigned to the fact that the Blues do not intend to extend his contract beyond the current tenure and is therefore looking for a new club.
The Frenchman is said to be keen on remaining in London and is therefore eyeing potential moves to either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur. Kante is currently in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and there have been numerous reports indicating that he is looking for a four-year contract at Chelsea. The West London club, however, are only keen on offering him a two-year extension because of his recent injury struggles.
Kante has only made two appearances this season and has not featured for Chelsea since August 14 due to a right thigh injury. That being said, his injury problems over the last three years have been well-documented. While he was an integral part of Chelsea’s 2021 UEFA Champions League triumph, he did miss a total of seven games that season.
Talks over his contract extension have therefore reached a stalemate and Foot Mercato claims that losing Kante would free up £8.8m – around £170,000-a-week – in wages at Chelsea.
Our View
It appears Kante is heading for the exit door at Chelsea and with the player keen to remain in London, Arsenal and Tottenham are in with a real chance to sign the Frenchman.
The UEFA midfielder of the year (2021) is an experienced operator and remains a world class midfielder. He is now a box-to-box midfielder who has a staggering work rate. Not to forget, he is good on the ball as well and has a cool head on his shoulders. And most importantly, he is an experienced campaigner in the Premier League.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly looking to acquire a new midfielder and Kante is an attractive opportunity. The Blues could still offer him what he wants but Todd Boehly and co. appear determined not to hand him a four year deal, so it looks like Kante will be on the move next summer and a move to Arsenal or Tottenham could be in the pipe-line.
