Chelsea may decide to let N’Golo Kante leave in the January transfer window with his contract set to expire in the summer.
The Lowdown: Kante’s season
Kante is currently enduring one of the toughest moments of his career this season as he’s found himself out injured virtually the whole campaign along with his future beyond the summer yet to be decided.
The fan favourite at Stamford Bridge has played just twice for the Blues this season after picking up a serious hamstring injury in the draw against Tottenham Hotspur in August, meaning he hasn’t been available to new boss Graham Potter who arrived two months ago.
The Latest: Chelsea willing to sell
According to La Repubblica, the 31-year-old will be free to leave in January if Chelsea’s asking price of £18m is matched.
Apparently, the Blues haven’t given up on extending the World Cup winner’s £290k-per-week wages but his lack of game time and drop off in quality means that looks unlikelier by the month, forcing owner Todd Boehly and Potter to act now before Kante leaves for nothing in the summer.
This has seen Spurs become one of the frontrunners with Antonio Conte wanting to reunite with the midfielder following their 2016/17 Premier League title-winning season in West London, interest from Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain has also been reported.
The Verdict: Cash in
Kante has been an incredible servant to Chelsea after arriving for only £30m from shock Premier League champions Leicester City in 2016, racking up 262 appearances and a Champions League trophy whilst in West London, but now seems the right time to part ways.
His recent injury problems are now turning into a concern with him missing 71 games and counting through injuries in the last three seasons, with most of them muscle injuries which is a worrying sign for such an energetic player.
This season, he has made just two appearances across all competitions and those were in the Blues’ opening fixtures against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
With him reported to not get on with his 47-year-old manager too, it would be an incredible waste to extend his astronomical wages beyond the rest of the season, and with Chelsea’s financial power under Boehly, they could swiftly re-invest the Frenchman’s £15.1m-per-year salary on a new midfielder more befitting to Potter.
