Juventus are reportedly eager to prise N’Golo Kante away from Chelsea as Maurizio Sarri looks to secure a reunion with his former Blues star.
The 28-year-old has been a pivotal figure for Chelsea since his move from Leicester City in 2016 as he has made over 40 appearances in each of the three campaigns he’s spent at Stamford Bridge thus far.
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That has led to a Premier League title, FA Cup and Europa League in that time, and as he continues to play a vital role under Frank Lampard, Chelsea will surely have no interest in seeing Kante leave the club any time soon.
However, they could come under pressure to fend off interest from Juventus it seems, as The Daily Mail report that Sarri wants Kante in Turin and the reigning Serie A champions believe that an offer in the region of £70m could force the Blues to consider an exit.
Time will tell if that’s the case, but that would undoubtedly help Juve build a brilliant midfield as they snapped up the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot on free transfers this past summer and have plenty of quality and depth beyond that as well in the likes of Blaise Matuidi, Sami Khedira, Rodrigo Bentancur and Emre Can.
Nevertheless, while the report drops a hint that Lampard’s push to give youth a chance this season could lead to more senior players being allowed to move on, the Blues boss needs to be careful that he doesn’t lose a crucial balance between experience and youth.
Kante provides him with such an important presence in the side, it could be argued that it would be a mistake from Chelsea to sell if they don’t have to, and so while Sarri is eager for another spell working with the World Cup winner, it surely seems unlikely that he’ll get his wish as Chelsea will want to keep hold of their best players.
