N’Golo Kante could become a Chelsea player by end of this week after Blues formalized their interest in the player barely 24 hours after the Euro 2016 final.
According to reports from Independent, Chelsea will open the bidding at £20million but will need to go as high as £35m given a substantial bid from one of the Chinese Super League sides for the in-demand French star.
Although Kante has no interest in joining the Chinese League, Leicester are poised to receive a firm bid from Chelsea in coming hours. Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all expressed their interest in Kante but are yet to put a substantial offer.
That is where Chelsea are hoping to conclude a deal with an initial £20m bid as Antonio Conte begins the task of reshaping his Chelsea squad over the course of this summer.
His other prime targets Radja Nainggolan, Alvaro Morata and Leonardo Bonucci are yet to arrive at Stamford Bridge thus Conte is not taking any risks in getting Kante’s deal before signing any one else.
The 25-year-old combative midfielder will be a proper fit for Chelsea given Conte’s demands and playing style. Kante is a disciplined and defensive minded midfielder who knows how to pass effectively.
Add to that Kante has already refused to sign a whopping £100,000-a-week contract at Leicester and is planning to quit King Power this summer. He would be an automatic fit for Chelsea given the lack of a destructive midfield player at Stamford Bridge.
Nemanja Matic is linked with a move to Juventus which would further give Kante an assurance over the starting Xi role. Conte is also keen to bring either Lassana Diarra or Andre Gomes to the club to ensure a top-4 place finish for Chelsea next season.