Chelsea: Frank Lampard transfer lists N’Golo Kante amid Inter interests
By Varun Aithal
After serving a transfer ban for two windows, Chelsea have been the busiest club in the market preparing for the next phase under Frank Lampard.
Before the 2020/21 transfer window kicked off, Chelsea had agreed to sign Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech from RB Leipzig and Ajax Amsterdam, respectively.
Adding to their summer captures, they signed Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr on free transfers and have acquired the services of Ben Chilwell from Leicester City for a fee said to £50m.
The Blues are also rumored to have finalized the deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Kai Havertz, who is likely to be announced within the week. However, in order to balance the books and make space for the new additions, Frank Lampard has put N’Golo Kante on the transfer list.
Kai Havertz is coming - confirmed 🔵🤝 #CFC #Chelsea https://t.co/bPJyQmnmmc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2020
The former Leicester City man endured a difficult 2019/20 season owing to injuries. Despite things going against him, the player made himself available for the team whenever he was fit. The player started just 23 games last season.
Alongside Kante, Chelsea have transfer-listed Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko, who are available on permanent transfers. They are also trying to find a buyer for Kepa Arrizabalaga despite Petr Cech reinstating his confidence in the goalkeeper. Frank Lampard has put an £80million price tag on Kante, who seems to be attracting interest from both Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
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The Inter Milan manager, Antonio Conte, is a huge admirer of the Chelsea midfielder. He signed the French midfielder from Leicester City after the Foxes clinched the Premier League title in 2015/16.
N’Golo played a major role in Chelsea’s title-winning season. It was his maiden campaign at the Bridge and under Antonio Conte. However, the injury-marred season has him lower in the pecking order.
However, former Chelsea skipper Dennis Wise is skeptical about Kante’s move. He urged Frank Lampard to keep the French midfielder and said:
"I would say the main person is Kante, for sure, and then you can have a mixture of [Mateo] Kovacic, [Ross] Barkley or [Mason] Mount."
Chelsea have slapped an £80m price tag on N'Golo Kante with Inter and Antonio Conte keen on the defensive midfielder, reports the Express.
— GOAL (@goal) September 1, 2020
The Nerazzurri have also been linked with moves for Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud. pic.twitter.com/0LpvthfI2z
The future of N’Golo Kante is still in doubt. Few outlets suggest that Chelsea’s arch-rivals Manchester United are also interested in the Real Madrid target. The Spaniards are said to be tracking the player since he won the 2018 World Cup.
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The motive behind transfer listing one of their mainstays is funding their transfer targets such as Declan Rice and a goalkeeper to challenge Kepa. These are the two signings including their recent ones can make Chelsea a potential title challenger.