Chelsea’s transfer pursuit of young midfielders suggests the club is preparing to let N’Golo Kante leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Blues are at risk of losing their two experienced midfielders; Kante and Jorginho, at the end of the season.
Kante, in particular, is no longer the reliable midfield engine he used to be due to his injury problems.
Before sustaining the hamstring injury in the match against Tottenham Hotspur, the midfielder was arguably one of Chelsea’s performers at the start of the season.
But the 31-year-old has not even featured under new manager Graham Potter so far and is expected to be out until at least the end of February.
Romano claims that Kante’s possible exit is also one of the reasons Chelsea have been actively trying to sign young midfield talents.
“Their feeling at Chelsea is that there is a very good chance Kante will leave as a free agent in the summer,” the Italian journalist said on his YouTube channel.
“At the moment, the negotiations are really slow — nothing is advanced between Chelsea and Kante.
“The player has a feeling that it will probably be the time to change.
“He’s really happy in London, and he loves Chelsea, so he would love to stay, but the feeling with the club is not the same as two, three years ago.
“Graham Potter respects him, but the strategy seems different for Chelsea.
“They keep an eye on young midfielders and [are close to signing] Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama.”
Similarly, an earlier report from The Athletic mentioned that Jorginho will likely leave the club this summer.
Losing two key players in the same window is, of course, risky, but it is perhaps time for Chelsea to make space for a long-overdue midfield overhaul.
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