Chelsea talisman delivers Arsenal, Tottenham fate over eye-catching Premier League transfer

N’Golo Kante reportedly only wants to stay at Chelsea and is not interested in moving elsewhere, amid supposed Arsenal and Tottenham links.

The France international has proved one of the best midfielders to grace the top flight since his arrival at Leicester. He rose to become the Foxes’ star man at the King Power Stadium.

And after helping Leicester win the Premier League title in 2016, a suitable step up to Chelsea came calling.

Kante subsequently helped deliver the top-flight crown to Stamford Bridge in 2017 and has also won the Champions League with the Blues.

In recent seasons, though, injuries have proved a growing problem – as has his contract. The 31-year-old’s terms expire next summer, when he will be 32.

Previous reports have revealed how Chelsea are in talks with Kante about handing him a new contract. In the event of him leaving, though, he would reportedly keen to stay in London. And that brought about transfer links with Arsenal and Tottenham.

According to the latest from Foot Mercato, though, Kante only has eyes for a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

Kante ‘feels good’ at the Blues and he is ‘absolutely’ not looking for a new club.

Kante contract issue remains for Chelsea

But, as outlined in previous reports, Chelsea have a niggling contract issue with Kante that could emerge as a big problem.

The club are reluctant to hand him anything more than a two-year deal with an extra year.

According to Foot Mercato, though, Kante wants a ‘long-term’ contract as he looks to prove himself for Chelsea in his thirties.

For now, though, Chelsea continue to discuss the midfielder’s potential new contract with the relevant parties.

Graham Potter insisted that he is thinking carefully about Kante’s injury situation as he looks to reintegrate him into the team.

The Chelsea boss said before Saturday’s 3-0 win over Wolves: “The welfare of the player is important, I don’t want to take a risk with that.

“I understand you have to take some decisions but from my perspective I want to make sure a player is safe, ready, ready to play consistently over a period of time.

“That’s the best way to build a relationship with them and to get them back stronger, enjoying their football.”

Blues facing another costly decision

Chelsea have been here before with some of their star players, most recently as last season.

As the campaign ticked on, uncertainty grew over the futures of centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Christensen was a concern, but Rudiger was the one Chelsea fans absolutely did not want to see leave.

However, the pair left as free agents for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

And Chelsea could soon find themselves facing the same constant speculation about Kante if the situation drags on past the World Cup – which it is likely to.

This summer, Chelsea had to spend heavily to replace Rudiger and Christensen, signing Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Blues have signed Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka as exciting future midfield prospects, but they would certainly need to spend big to replace Kante.