Chelsea could have been waving goodbye to key midfielder N’Golo Kante earlier this year, with reports suggesting that Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain made a late move for the Frenchman. According to Le Parisien, Mauricio Pochettino’s men made an effort to secure his services in the closing days of the January transfer window.
It is certainly no surprise to see PSG make a play for his services, having held an interest in the World Cup winner on a number of occasions in the past. They were apparently tracking him after he memorably lifted the Premier League with Leicester City - only to see Chelsea steal a march and secure his services for £30m. The French outfit then tried again two years later, shortly after the midfielder had played a key role in Les Bleus’ second World Cup win, but were once again left frustrated.
However, they renewed their efforts to sign him only months ago having made contact again in the closing days of the January transfer window. Thankfully for Chelsea, Kante himself was apparently not interested in a switch to the Parc des Princes and did not even respond to PSG.
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That will certainly be a relief to both Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel, the latter having been hugely complimentary of the now 31-year-old on a number of occasions in the past.
Speaking in December, the German said: "Of course he [Kante] makes the difference because he's a very very special player. I've said it 100 times, and can repeat it another 100 times, there are no more words, it is outstanding quality that helps every team in the world."
The Blues might not be able to call on the Frenchman’s services for much longer, though. Kante is out of contract next summer and there now appears to be a dilemma over whether he should be offered a new deal.
The upcoming summer transfer window is likely to be the last opportunity that the reigning European champions have to receive a significant fee for Kante’s services and whilst Chelsea will be averse to selling such a key player, the decision might be taken, especially considering the financial uncertainty at Stamford Bridge at the current time.
One advantage that the Blues do have in this situation though, is that the midfielder appears to have rejected a move out of hand on a number of occasions. It is now down to Chelsea to either reward that stark loyalty or make the decision to move on from the Frenchman as his deal continues to tick down.
