Juventus have reportedly met with the representatives of Chelsea FC and Real Madrid target N’Golo Kante, and are ready to bring the Leicester City midfielder to Turin.
Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri has been on a rebuilding mission at Juventus this summer. The Serie A champions have already signed top players like Miralem Pjanic and Dani Alves from AS Roma and Barcelona respectively.
However, the former AC Milan manager is looking to further improve his midfield options, as he has been given the mandate to make Juventus serious contenders in the Champions League once again [via La Gazzetta dello Sport].
According to a report in Italian news outlet Calciomercato, officials from Juventus have already met with Kante’s representatives who offered the player to the Serie A champions during the meet.
At the moment, Kante’s release clause at Leicester is believed to be around £20 million. However, according to reputed Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio’s website, the Bianconeri are not prepared to match the release clause, and want to hold talks with Leicester City in order to hammer out a deal.
Leicester though, are reportedly not prepared to lower their demands for a player who was crucial to their Premier League title-winning run last season. They are confident that they will get the stipulated amount, as Chelsea and Real Madrid are also said to be after the player’s signature.
Is Kante a long-term replacement for Marchisio?
Claudio Marchisio has been at Juventus for 11 years and has become one of their key figures in the middle of the park. However, with the Italian entering his thirties, the Bianconeri might find themselves in a position where they would need a replacement for Marchisio.
To add to their woes, Marchisio is suffering from a long term cruciate ligament rupture which has kept him out of the Italian squad for the 2016 European Championships in France. The 30-year-old is not expected to take the field before October.
![[Image Credits: Squawka]](http://www.thehardtackle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/1-38-507x499.jpg)
However, in Kante, Juventus can have a midfielder who not only offers quality while going forward, but also works hard to provide protection defensively. In fact, Kante’s defensive stats are phenomenally higher than that of Marchisio during his peak in 2014/15. The 25-year-old Frenchman could turn out to be a great long-term replacement for the 30-year-old Italian.
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