Chelsea fan favourite N’Golo Kante does not want to leave the club, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
The 31-year-old is currently absent with a long-term injury and has made just two appearances all season.
The Frenchman has won nearly everything on offer since joining from Leicester City in 2016, but given his injury struggles, there is debate as to whether Chelsea should extend his contract.
With fellow midfielder Jorginho also nearing the end of his contract, Chelsea have a tough decision to make on whether to keep both, release both or offer a new deal to just one of the two.
According to Ben Jacobs, speaking on the CFC365 podcast, Kante does not want to leave Chelsea, and is well-liked by the club, but wants to extend on terms that suit him.
“Kante doesn’t want to leave by the way, he just wants terms that match his desires, and Chelsea are trying to cut the wage bill and he’s one of the older players,” Jacobs claimed.
“I think that they see Kante as playing less and less, but everyone at Chelsea loves Kante including the fanbase. They know that he’s got a key role to play in the short term.
“When you offer a new contract you have to think about the long-term and be prepared to lose the player if it doesn’t make financial sense to tie them down, so that’s the challenge with Kante.”
TIF thoughts on Kante…
Although he has been an exceptional player throughout his time at the club, as well as being universally adored, now might be the best time for Chelsea to part ways with their hero.
Keeping both Kante and Jorginho, two midfielders in their thirties, does not fit the younger project the club are targeting, and given Chelsea’s interest in Declan Rice, it makes sense to clear out the midfield.
Kante’s fitness issues are a major concern, and the player has not been available for an extended spell in a long time. If they were to extend one of their midfielders’ contracts, keeping Jorginho is the less risky move as he is more reliable when it comes to availability.
The World Cup winner may be dismayed given his love for the club and for London, and could even move to a rival to stay in the Capital, but Chelsea should move on from their midfield general.