Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea transfer news: Strong new suitor emerges for midfielder Blues could make £32m loss on

N'Golo Kante and Jorginho of Chelsea

The prospect of N’Golo Kante leaving Chelsea for free in 2023 is seemingly getting likelier by the day – and now new information has emerged as to where he could end up.

Kante is into the final year of his contract, which Chelsea may be cautious about extending. Although he is one of the Premier League’s best midfielders at his peak, there have been concerns about the Frenchman’s recent injury history.

What’s more, he is now in his thirties. Consequently, he could begin to lose some of the dynamism that made him a standout player to begin with.

Therefore, there have already been claims that the chances of Kante leaving Chelsea in 2023 are fairly high.

The former Leicester City man has been linked with a move to La Liga with Barcelona. But according to reports in his homeland, he could end up in Italy instead.

Ignazio Genuardi has reported that Juventus are taking information about Kante ahead of the New Year. In fact, they are trying to find out as much about the player as possible.

The Serie A side already snapped up one French midfielder on a free transfer after a departure from a Premier League club in 2022, when they brought back ex-Manchester United man Paul Pogba.

Their midfield remains under evolution, particularly with Pogba’s own physical situation preventing him from making an impact back in Turin yet.

Hence, they could look at Kante as someone to further help modify the department. Presumably, though, they want to be sure of the 31-year-old’s physical condition.

It has been one of the only factors holding Kante back at Chelsea and the main reason there are doubts about extending his stay at Stamford Bridge. After what has happened with Pogba so far, Juventus would not want to inherit a similar problem.

Kante worthy of Juventus attention

But if they can get Kante at full fitness, they would be acquiring one of the most highly appreciated midfielders in Europe.

Therefore, he is definitely someone for them to deem worth investigating further. They will not be able to take any new information about his performances for a while, though, since Kante’s injury will rule him out of the World Cup.

Chelsea, no doubt, will be carrying out their own observations on how Kante is getting along. A chance remains that he could renew his deal with the club who paid around £32million to sign him in 2016.

However, it perhaps seems more likely they will be losing him for free. In that case, Juventus seem to be ones to watch. They are going to be attentive to every development regarding the 2018 World Cup winner.

Ultimately, the choice will be Kante’s. He will also have to consider where each of his suitors are in a sporting sense. Indeed, Juventus have been inconsistent so far this season, so their Champions League status may be at risk.

It may be preferential for Kante to wait and assess all his options, despite the chance to sign a pre-contract agreement with anyone abroad from January 1.

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