Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is reported to have already opened talks over a potential transfer deal for Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante.
The France international has been one of the finest players in the world in his position for a number of years now, and seems ideal for Real’s needs after a difficult season.
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Zinedine Zidane’s side have fallen behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race, and are also facing likely elimination from the Champions League after their 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester City last night.
According to Don Balon, this result, and in particular the poor performance of Casemiro in midfield, has persuaded Perez to get to work straight away on trying to bring Kante to the Bernabeu.
The Blues ace would apparently cost around £102million, say Don Balon, but he could be a realistic target due to the west Londoners’ precarious situation in the Premier League at the moment.
Although Frank Lampard’s side currently occupy that fourth Champions League spot, they are only three points ahead of Manchester United and not in the most convincing run of form.
If Chelsea don’t qualify for next season’s Champions League, it’s easy to see a player of Kante’s calibre moving on if given a good enough offer.
Madrid would do well to snap up the former Leicester City man, who could be just the Casemiro upgrade they need.
Real have also raided CFC for Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard in recent times, so could be confident of doing so again.