Chelsea are increasingly growing in confidence that they can reach an agreement with N’Golo Kante over a contract extension, according to Football London.
Following Jorginho’s January departure, there are now three Chelsea players — excluding loanees; Joao Felix and Denis Zakaria — whose deals have entered their final months.
These three are Kante, Thiago Silva, and Marcus Bettinelli.
In Silva’s case, it is quite simple. Both Chelsea and the 38-year-old seem satisfied with a short-term contract. Recent reports suggest that Silva is close to signing a one-year contract extension, similar to what he currently has.
On the other hand, Bettinelli’s current two-year deal expires at the end of the season and an extension seems unlikely at this point.
As a third-choice goalkeeper, he has unsurprisingly had a very limited role in the team, and Chelsea are expected to address their goalkeeping situation this summer.
Compared to these two, Kante’s situation is far more complicated.
The France international had only made two appearances for the Blues before sustaining a hamstring injury, which required surgery, that has kept him out until now.
His injury record in the past few seasons is frankly worrying, but when fit, he has proved that he can single-handedly lead the team to victories.
If Chelsea let Kante leave as a free agent this summer, there is no doubt that he will get plenty of offers from other top clubs.
In addition to that, bringing in a replacement for such a key player is almost certain to be expensive.
A short-term extension is arguably the ideal solution and this is exactly what Chelsea have reportedly offered to Kante — a two-year contract with an option for a third.
The former Leicester City is said to be looking for a guaranteed three-year deal, instead, which makes sense from a player’s point of view, but Football London claims that Chelsea are confident that an agreement can be reached.
Fortunately for Chelsea, a Chelsea stay would reportedly also be Kante’s preferred option and this could help smooth out the contract negotiations.
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