Barcelona have reportedly set their sights on N’Golo Kante, with new director of football Eric Abidal plotting a summer move for the Chelsea man
According to a report by Spanish outlet Don Balon, N’Golo Kante is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The Blaugrana’s new director of football Eric Abidal is seriously weighing up a move to sign the Chelsea midfielder in the summer transfer window, with Lionel Messi approving the transfer as well.
Kante has been a midfield revelation ever since he first moved to the Premier League in the summer of 2015. The player spent his first season at Leicester City, where he was a pivotal figure as the Foxes shocked everyone by winning the 2015-16 Premier League title. The subsequent summer saw him jump ship to sign for Chelsea, and he has been one of their best players since.
The 2016-17 saw Kante play a key role, with the Blues winning the league title this time, and the French international even winning the PFA Player of the Year award. While Chelsea endured an underwhelming 2017-18 campaign, the 27-year-old remained a consistent player throughout.
He has also been a colossal figure for France at the World Cup, which is why it’s hardly surprising that he is attracting interest from a number of clubs. The likes of Real Madrid and PSG have been previously linked with the Chelsea midfielder, but Barcelona see to be showing some serious interest in Kante this summer, and for good reason.
The Catalans have already lost the services of Andres Iniesta, who joined Vissel Kobe. To add to that, Ivan Rakitic is also being heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona, and with the likes of Denis Suarez and Andre Gomes failing to impress much, the need to sign another midfielder seems to be imperative.
Arthur Melo is set to arrive in Barcelona, but despite his arrival, Paulinho and Sergio Busquets will remain the only other midfielders with a certain future at Camp Nou for now. With the latter starting to show signs of age catching up to him, Kante’s arrival from Chelsea could ease the pressure on him, with the duo potentially combining for a formidable partnership.
New director of football, Eric Abidal seems to be the brains behind the operation, and Lionel Messi, as well as some other first-team players also seem to have given their go-ahead to sign Kante. The fact that Barcelona can also offer Champions League football could possibly make the prospect of a departure from Chelsea an appealing one for the 27-year-old.
However, Chelsea are expected to fight tooth and nail to retain Kante, however hard their chances may be. But, it goes without saying that Barcelona will be fancying their chances of signing N’Golo Kante this summer, a move that is appealing to the big decision makers at Camp Nou.
