Chelsea are keen to get Nemanja Matic tied up onto a new contract.
According to a report in The Mirror, Antonio Conte wants to reward the 28-year-old for his part in this season’s turnaround and also to reassure the midfielder ahead of a busy summer transfer window.
Matic is in his fourth year at Stamford Bridge and has formed at outstanding partnership this term with N’Golo Kante as Chelsea power towards the title in Conte’s debut season.
The former Benfica midfielder is under contract until the summer of 2019 but will now be rewarded with a bumper new deal in line with the new contracts offered since the current television deal came into place.
Securing Matic alongside Kante will give Conte part of the spine he is looking for as he lays down the foundations for future success.
Chelsea have been linked with midfielders Franck Kassie of Atalanta and Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko but they would be in addition to Matic and Kante rather than possible replacements.