Boost for Chelsea as contract for £290k per week star edges closer; he could be Potter’s saviour
Chelsea look set to be handed a major boost with midfielder N’Golo Kante close to signing a contract extension, according to reports.
The £290,000 per week Frenchman was set to be a free agent at the end of the season but it seems the Blues have now convinced him to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Despite suffering from injuries this term, Kante has been one of Chelsea’s most important players over the years, so this will be great news for Graham Potter.
Indeed, Chelsea currently sit in a disappointing tenth place in the Premier League after winning just eight of their 23 opening matches this season, also losing eight.
Pressure is mounting on Potter as a result, with the former Brighton man now having the worst record of any Chelsea manager in Premier League history.
Publicly, Todd Boehly is willing to give the English coach time to turn his team’s form around, but you would imagine that if they pick up a few more poor results, his days will be numbered, with a potential replacement already lined up – Zinedine Zidane.
As mentioned, Kante has suffered with significant injury problems this season, making just two appearances in the Premier League this term after sustaining a serious hamstring injury.
As a result, he has missed 30 matches across all competitions but has now been spotted returning to training at Cobham, so the 31-year-old could still play a key role in the remainder of the campaign.
The Frenchman has been one of the Blues’ most important players since joining the club back in 2016, making 262 appearances overall and helping his team to lift one Premier League title, four FA Cups, a Club World Cup, a Europa League and a Champions League.
Of course, he was also one of Leicester City’s star players when they sensationally won the league in 2016 and was also a part of the France squad that won the World Cup in 2018.
Now, according to the Telegraph, Kante looks set to pen a new deal at Chelsea to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer this summer, claiming that negotiations are progressing well between all parties.
Potter will be hoping that the midfielder can return to his starting XI as soon as possible, as he looks to save his career at Stamford Bridge.
He will have new competition to contend with, though, after the arrival of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January, so it will be interesting to see if Potter chooses Boehly’s big-money signing or the experience of Kante.
Although, the pair could potentially play alongside each other in a double pivot if Potter instead opts to drop Mateo Kovacic, or Conor Gallagher, who have both been utilized in that position this season.
That could make for quite the combo, so it will be very interesting to see how Chelsea lines up upon Kante’s return, with the midfielder set to pen a new deal.
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