Longtime Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante's future is a major conundrum for the club. After shelling out more than€611 million on new players during the ongoing season, the Blues will need to downsize the roster and recover costs during the next summer transfer window.
In June, Kante's lucrative deal will expire, and the Blues are said to be interested in retaining him at the Stamford Bridge. A major roadblock, though, is his hefty earnings, which are said to be £290,000 per week on his present agreement with the club, as reported by Football Insider.
This puts him in the upper echelon of Chelsea's salary scale and among the highest-paid players like Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Raheem Sterling. In addition, the midfielder missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a significant hamstring injury that kept him out of action for most of the 2022-23 season. These factors may explain why negotiations on a new two-year contract have stalled thus far.
What next for N'Golo Kante?
But now shocking reports claim that Kante has decided to switch to Arsenal this summer when his contract with Chelsea end. Spanish outlet Fichajes reports that the midfielder has said 'yes' to joining the Gunners after agreeing to terms with the club's contract offer.
As Mikel Arteta's side previously acquired Jorginho from their Premier League rivals in January, they see the Frenchman as a good bargain as he will be a free agent shortly. The report adds that the Gunners seem like a more attractive option than his current side since they are currently in a championship race whereas the Blues are floundering.
Despite reports of progress in negotiations for a new two-year contract, the 2018 World Cup winner with France has spent the last seven years at Stamford Bridge after arriving from Leicester and could finally opt to leave. According to the source, the 32-year-old ace has decided to sign a two-year deal to stay in London after Arsenal gave him the same conditions as Chelsea.
