Real Madrid are reportedly plotting a summer swoop for Chelsea superstar N’Golo Kante, with the Blues boss Frank Lampard open to a sale.
According to reports in Spain, as carried by The Sun, Chelsea are considering the possibility of offloading midfield mainstay N’Golo Kante in the summer transfer window, with La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid waiting in the wings to make a move.
Kante arrived at Chelsea in 2016, after having led Leicester City to shock Premier League title triumph in 2015-16. The Frenchman has been a key figure at Stamford Bridge ever since, as the Blues won the league title in his debut season, the FA Cup in the next season and the UEFA Europa League the season after.
The 2019-20 campaign though, has been a difficult one for the diminutive Frenchman with injuries hampering his involvement on a regular basis under new boss Frank Lampard. As a result, Kante has started just 16 of Chelsea’s 29 Premier League games this season, netting three goals in the process.
Lampard has a wealth of options in midfield, with the likes of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley, the fit-again Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, while young Billy Gilmour has also emerged as a reliable option. Given the quality and depth in the squad, the manager is open to offloading Kante, as per the report.
And, Real Madrid are ready to pounce on the opportunity to snap up the 29-year-old’s signing. Los Blancos’ manager Zinedine Zidane is an admirer of his compatriot and is intent on boosting his options in the middle of the park as Luka Modric enters the twilight of his career.
Federico Valverde’s rise to prominence this season has eased some concerns at the Bernabeu, but the lack of a proper defensive midfielder apart from Casemiro is still something that needs to be addressed. To that end, Zidane is eyeing a swoop for 29-year-old Kante.
Kante has three years left on his current contract with Chelsea. But Lampard seemingly deeming him as surplus to requirements, there is a good chance that the Frenchman could be shown the exit doors at Stamford Bridge come summer.
Winds of change are afoot at Chelsea, with a number of senior players expected to leave in the summer. Willian, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has been heavily linked with an exit, while Pedro and Olivier Giroud are also likely to be on the move. And if the aforementioned report is to be believed, Kante could be set to follow suit.
