N’Golo Kante could leave CHELSEA for free next summer after contract negotiations reportedly came to a standstill.
The midfielder’s current contract is set to expire at the conclusion of the current campaign, and the Blues have been in active negotiations to extend it.
The 31-year-old is open to Chelsea’s offer of a two-year deal with a third-year option.
However, Kante is seeking a four-year contract similar to the one given to Kalidou Koulibaly, a 31-year-old, earlier this year.
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Given Kante’s recent injury troubles, the Mail reports that Blues management is leery of such a commitment.
During the previous three seasons, the Frenchman missed 55 Premier League games due to injury; this season, he hasn’t played since the 2-2 tie with Tottenham on August 14.
Kante would be free to speak with other teams abroad if Chelsea and Kante are unable to reach a new contract by January.
Given their long-standing desire, Paris Saint-Germain would be first in line for the 2018 World Cup champion’s signature.
Graham Potter, the manager of the team, spoke about Kante’s predicament yesterday and said, “My objective is to assist him rehabilitate in a proper way so he is ready for us.
He is a tremendous asset for us when he is on the field. The club and him are involved in the other matters.
“My goal is to make him fit so he can enjoy playing football.
“He is an extremely rare player, therefore it will be better for us if he returns as soon as possible. I’ll leave it there for now.”
Against AC Milan tonight, Potter, 47, might use Kante for the first time now that the former Leicester star is healthy again after suffering a hamstring injury recently.
Added the former Brighton manager: “He’s a difficult person to replace.
“He is a player of the highest caliber, so any team that loses him would suffer a little. But it’s up to the other participants to step up and come up with the answers.
Even if there isn’t a direct replacement, there are still alternative solutions available if we look at our options, thus we need to choose the best one.