Chelsea reject Inter Milan bid for N’Golo Kante
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have rejected a bid from Italian giants Inter Milan for midfield star N’Golo Kante.
The Serie A side’s deal is believed to have included midfielder Marcelo Brozovic as a makeweight. Chelsea for their part have also informed the Italians that they are not interested in Christian Eriksen.
The Blues’ refusal has not put off the Nerazzurri. Instead, they are keen to offload players to ensure they can make a straight cash bid for the Chelsea star.
Inter manager Antonio Conte has identified Kante as a key summer signing. He is keen to add the French midfielder to a side that fell just short of Juventus in Serie A last season.
The Italian tactician is well aware of Kante’s abilities and was the man who brought the midfielder to Stamford Bridge in 2016.
It proved to be an excellent piece of business as he immediately helped Chelsea to the Premier League title. His performances saw him win the trifecta of the Player of Year awards from the PFA, FWA, and the Premier League.
Conte’s desire to land Kante could be harder than it looks. For one, Inter appear to lack the financial resources to make an offer for Chelsea’s liking.
The Blues for their part appear to have no interest in Brozovic. Chelsea were also informed of Eriksen’s availability only for them to express their disinterest.
According to reports from France, Kante is keen to stay on at Chelsea and has the backing of his manager Frank Lampard, who is keen to keep him. (h/t The Telegraph)
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While the Blues are willing to trim their midfield, Lampard would prefer to lose Jorginho rather than Kante.
The Frenchman endured a difficult season last time around and made just 30 appearances across all competitions. He is however set to start Chelsea’s curtain-raiser for the 2020/21 campaign against Brighton on Monday.
It appears that the 29-year-old looks set to stay on at the Bridge. Whether Inter can come up with a bid that can pique our interest remains to be seen.