Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante still faces an uncertain future, according to Fabrizio Romano, who has paid tribute to the Frenchman in his exclusive CaughtOffside column this morning.
Kante will be out of contract at the end of the season unless he agrees a new deal with Chelsea, and Romano admits it’s now possible he could be set to depart Stamford Bridge on a free transfer.
Still, it seems nothing has been firmly decided yet, with Romano playing down any speculation linking the 31-year-old with Barcelona for the moment.
Romano also paid tribute to the superb career Kante has had, with the France international winning the World Cup, the Champions League, the Premier League and PFA Player of the Year in his time in English football.
Initially a virtual unknown when he joined Leicester City in the summer of 2015, Kante is now firmly up there with the best defensive midfield players of his generation, according to Romano.
“There’s no change on N’Golo Kante’s future – it looks like there’s a serious chance he could leave as a free agent this summer. However, for now there is nothing advanced with Barcelona. The player also wants to stay in London, so let’s see what happens,” Romano said.
“Looking back, how did Leicester City spot Kante’s potential before anyone else? They had very good scouting department that trusted Kante when he was in France, they followed him for long time and then… top, top signing.
“After just one year at Leicester, Chelsea were really convinced on that deal, and I personally really rate Kante in the top three of the best defensive midfielders of his generation: he’s been a monster and I hope he’ll be back soon!”
Whatever happens with Kante now, he is surely guaranteed legendary status at Chelsea, and in the Premier League as a whole.