If the latest reports from France are to be believed, then N’Golo Kanté will not be extending his stay with Chelsea beyond his current contract.
Arriving in 2016 from Leicester City, the midfielder has been an absolute key part of everything the Blues have done over the past seven years, but it appears to all be coming to an end, with Arsenal and Tottenham already being offered the player.
This is according to Foot Mercato, who report that following his recent injury and the number of physical setbacks he has suffered over the past few seasons, those who took over at Chelsea are using his ‘physical fragility’ to ‘justify the possible end of the story’.
The outlet claim that ‘we are heading towards a separation at the end of the season’, at which points Kanté would be a free agent.
For Chelsea, that would see them save up around €10m a year on wages, which they could give to a new, younger player, but the France international doesn’t want to just go anywhere.
Foot Mercato make it clear the player wants to ‘stay in London’, where he ‘feels good’, meaning his options are quite limited.
This also rules out Paris Saint-Germain, who don’t figure in the plans of the player going forward despite their previous attempts.
As for Arsenal and Tottenham, they are mentioned in both the tweet from journalist Santi Aouna, who adds Kanté was ‘offered’ to the two London sides, and the article’s text.
🚨Info: Bien qu'il aimerait rester à Chelsea, il y a en l'état, peu de chance que N'Golo Kanté 🇫🇷 prolonge avec les Blues.
▶️ En cas de départ, Kanté 🇫🇷 souhaite rester en Angleterre🏴 et plus précisément à Londres.
▶️ Proposé à Arsenal et Tottenham.https://t.co/64QjWDEwaS
— Santi Aouna (@Santi_J_FM) October 6, 2022
The logical solution would be a move to Spurs, where Antonio Conte would await him, being the manager who was in charge when Chelsea signed him.
However, Arsenal might have a say in this, as despite aiming for a younger squad under Mikel Arteta, the chance of signing a player of Kanté’s stature could be too good to turn down.