Antonio Conte keen to reunite with Chelsea star N’Golo Kante
According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Daily Star), former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is keen to reunite with N’Golo Kante at Inter Milan.
The Italian was the one in charge at the Bridge when Kante joined Chelsea in 2016. He arrived from then champions Leicester City in a deal worth £32million.
It has proven to be an excellent piece of business as he immediately helped Chelsea to the Premier League title the following season. His performances saw him win the triad of the Player of Year awards from the PFA, FWA, and the Premier League.
Conte, now in charge of the Nerazzurri led them to second spot in Serie A last season. He is keen to strengthen the squad and has identified Kante as his top transfer target.
According to the report, Conte has called for Inter officials to buy the Chelsea star. The Blues are not averse to a sale and will let go of Kante for the right price.
The Frenchman has three years left on his current deal at the Bridge. He is however coming off a frustrating season that saw him suffer from injury. Kante made just 30 appearances for Chelsea last season.
The Blues have had an excellent summer that saw them sign Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr, and Ben Chilwell.
With a club-record £90million fee for Kai Havertz nearing completion, Chelsea’s total summer outlay will reach £230million.
Blues bosses are keen to balance the books and selling Kante will help them do that. The 29-year-old is available for around £45million.
Inter are hoping to sign Kante initially on loan with an obligation or an option to buy this summer. This will help them spread out the cost of the transfer.
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Inter appear to be serious in their chase for Kante, so much so that they have dropped their interest in Brescia wonderkid Sandro Tonali.
Kante has been a loyal servant to the club for four years now. It could be time to move on. With Frank Lampard building a young, hungry team, a new era may be dawning at Stamford Bridge.