French giants Paris St-Germain are expected to launch a bid for Blues star N’Golo Kante this summer, amidst reports that Thiago Motta is set to retire at the end of the season.
Chelsea are expected to have an exodus of both players and staff in the summer following their failure to defend the Premier League title, with Champions League qualification also now being all but a mathematical impossibility.
The 2016-17 PFA Players’ Player of the Year Kante, who signed from Leicester after inspiring the Foxes to a remarkable league triumph in the 2015-16 season, has been linked with a move to the French capital – his hometown – for some time now. It is believed that PSG have intensified their interest in the 37-year-old following the news that Italian international Motta is set to hang up his boots at the end of the current term, aged 35.
Brazilian publication UOL Esporte reports that the Ligue 1 champions-elect are already in negotiations with possible replacements for the midfielder, with Kante and Brazilian star Fabinho – currently with rivals Monaco – top of their wish list. The latter reportedly agreed on a move to PSG last summer, but UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations ultimately put the brakes on the deal.
With Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti also expected to leave the club, Les Rouge-et-Bleu will be keen to bring in reinforcements as soon as possible, and a player of Kante’s calibre will no doubt be tempted at not only the prospect of linking up with his home club, but also returning to the Champions League next term.
One potential sticking point of the deal, according to UOL, is Chelsea’s valuation of their number seven; the Blues allegedly see Kante as a €60-million player, a figure PSG may struggle to meet, especially as their financial affairs come under renewed scrutiny today.
