Thomas Tuchel could be set to be handed a major blow to his rebuild at Chelsea this summer following Manchester United's latest decision. Erik ten Hag's side have registered an interest in N'Golo Kante, according to The Guardian.
The 31-year-old featured 42 times for the Blues this season, with a growing injury record hampering his ability to reach the heights he once relished. The report claims that United are eager to find out whether the France international could be sold this summer, with his contract at Stamford Bridge expiring next year.
It's believed that the west Londoners are reluctant to sell the midfielder, who is a favourite of Tuchel. However, Todd Boehly's consortium, who have agreed a £4.25billion deal to buy the club, are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline.
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And, with the new ownership group eager to bolster the Blues armoury, The Telegraph indicate that, after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel could have as much as £200million at his disposal to strengthen his side. Not to mention the return of Conor Gallagher, who has been described as 'Kante but with goals', from a hugely successful loan spell at Crystal Palace.
So, naturally, Kante faces a growingly uncertain future at the club. However, the Blues boss thinks that the Frenchman's career in west London deserves more recognition and claims the midfielder has been the key to Chelsea's recent success.
Earlier this month, when asked if Kante should be spoken of alongside Didier Drogba, Tuchel said: "For sure, but because he is not that obvious, he is not in the spotlight, he is even more important for a team because a guy like N’Golo with the mentality of a helper, a water carrier, this makes the difference and big teams and successful teams need this. That’s why we love him so much, and everybody wants to play with him and why we miss him so much when he is not there."
The Chelsea boss added by outlining how important it is for Kante to find his fitness again, having struggled with several muscle injuries this term. Tuchel said: "I think he is our key, key player but key, key players have to be on the pitch and he only plays 40% of games,” Tuchel said. “He is our Mo Salah, [Virgil] van Dijk. He is our Kylian Mbappe.”
Kante played a huge part in Chelsea’s run to the Champions League title last season, and the German wants his medical entourage to find a way of getting him back to that level. Tuchel added: "Last year, I think in the last five matches of the Champions League they handed him the trophy. I think they handed it to him even before the match."
