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La Liga giants Barcelona have established contact with Chelsea star midfielder N'Golo Kante over a transfer next summer. As reported by Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona have advanced in negotiations with the France international on a free transfer.
N'Golo Kante is in the final year of his deal with Chelsea and is believed to be unwilling to sign a new deal to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge. The 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning French midfielder has been in touch with Barcelona for weeks now.
Sport claims that a deal between Kante and the Catalan giants is close but it depends on how the Frenchman recovers from his injury setback. Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez is reportedly keen on adding Kante to his roster due to his undisputed quality and immense experience at the highest level. The La Liga giants believe that the midfield dynamo, aged 31 now, still has a lot to offer.
Kante was in talks with Barcelona last summer as well but was not recognized as a priority. However, they are now thought to be prioritizing him due to his potential availability on a free transfer. The report claims that they could be looking for a January deal if Kante recovers from injury by then.
The Chelsea midfielder is currently out with a hamstring injury and had to undergo surgery at the end of October. This cost him a place in Didier Deschamps' France side in the World Cup.
Kante is one of the highest earners at Stamford Bridge and will need to lower his wage demands if he has to move to Camp Nou. Along with Kante, they are also monitoring the situation of his Blues teammate Jorginho and Manchester City skipper Ilkay Gundogan. However, a deal for Gundogan could be complicated with the Germany international thought to be interested in signing a new deal at the Etihad.
Chelsea ready to challenge Barcelona for Premier League midfielder
Chelsea could reportedly launch a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers skipper Ruben Neves, who has also attracted interest from Barcelona.
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed that Chelsea have identified the Portugal international as a priority target for January. He said:
“I’ve been told over the weekend that Neves is once again coming up in recruitment conversations and is a player being recommended by some at the club as a midfield target to push for in January.”
Ruben Neves has been a player very much in demand in recent times, having attracted interest from Arsenal and Liverpool earlier.
