N’Golo Kante is reportedly attracting interest from Barcelona ahead of the summer transfer window, with the midfielder yet to sign a new deal at Chelsea
Barcelona are reportedly keen on signing Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante (Image: Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
Chelsea could have two difficult decisions to make this summer, with Barcelona plotting a summer raid of Stamford Bridge which reportedly includes N’Golo Kante. The 32-year-old midfielder faces an increasingly uncertain future at Stamford Bridge with his contract expiring in a couple of months time.
With Kante yet to commit his long-term future to the Blues, he’ll be readily available via a free transfer at the end of the season, making him an attractive acquisition despite his injury record. The France international suffered a hamstring injury against Tottenham back in August and he’s only recently returned to action.
According to the Mirror, Kante is joined by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Barcelona’s radar ahead of the upcoming transfer window. The report states that the Spanish giants want to offer the Frenchman a two-year deal, however it’s said that he will have to accept a far less attractive wage.
With regard to Aubameyang, the Mirror add that Barcelona want an answer from the former Arsenal captain regarding his future by the first week of June. In March, he was pictured in the Catalan side’s dressing room after a dramatic El Clasico win over Real Madrid.
Chelsea fans spotted Aubameyang celebrating with former teammate Ferran Torres on social media and they were not happy – nor were senior figures at Stamford Bridge – either. According to Spanish outlet AS, the striker would ‘love’ to return to Barcelona.
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The report states that the Blues have been ‘very angry’ with Barcelona’s reported approaches for Aubameyang in the past and, as a result, they will unlikely sanction his desired move. Earlier this year, AS claimed that the Spanish side must convince Chelsea as to why they shouldn’t be refused the chance to sign him.
But, with Todd Boehly under growing pressure to trim down a bloated squad, he may have little choice but to give Barcelona the green light. However, ESPN pundit Alejandro Moreno believes that Xavi shouldn’t be pursuing a move for Aubameyang.
“Look, I think Aubameyang is a tremendous player,” Moreno said, as quoted by the Express. “But if you’re Barcelona and you’re moving away from Luis Suarez because, well, he’s getting older, if your idea is to get younger, then get really younger.
“Then think about the future, don’t think about the short-term fix because Aubameyang would be just that and that’s not even getting into the fact that when you’re thinking about the playing style of Aubameyang, it’s a guy that needs space and needs that ability to try and get in behind and attack those spaces with his speed.
“Well that’s not what Barcelona does, it’s not a sort of team that is direct and over the top, it’s a team that likes to play the little dinky balls in front of the defenders and try to combine and work your way towards goal.
“So it doesn’t quite match the style of Barcelona and I just think that, as a philosophy for Barcelona, if indeed you’re trying to get younger and if that’s your decision, then truly do that and think about the future and how you structure yourself for post-Messi years, because that’s happening.
“Whether they like it or not, that’s happening. They have to start preparing for that – Aubameyang is not the answer long term.”
Source: football.london
