SELLING £54M-RATED STAR WOULD SINGLE-HANDEDLY DESTROY CHELSEA’S TITLE-AMBITIONS NEXT SEASON

Following a notable rough patch for their club, the Chelsea supporters were in fine spirits in the Transfer Tavern last weekend after their side recorded a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, but recent reports regarding the future of N’Golo Kante have given them fresh reason for concern. 

Antonio Conte’s side put their recent woes behind them to take all three points from their encounter with Crystal Palace on Saturday evening as two first half goals proved to be enough to record a narrow victory. Chelsea’s fixture saw N’Golo Kante (valued at £54 million by Transfermarkt) return to the side after he missed their previous clash with Manchester City through illness, and he capped his performance with a rare assist for Wilian’s opening strike.

Kante’s performance underlined his importance to the mechanics of Chelsea’s midfield, even considering the fact he has fallen below the immensely high standards he has set for himself during his career in English football so far. However, his dip in form this season has done nothing to deter interest from outside the club according to Canal+who claim Kante has emerged as one of Paris Saint-Germain’s top summer targets.

Every player in football has their price regardless of how indispensable they may seem, but if Chelsea want to compete for the Premier League title next season they will have to resist any forthcoming offer for Kante’s services, regardless of the scope for profit. Since moving to the English top-flight, Kante has proven that he is one of Europe’s most influential midfielders whilst playing for both Leicester City and Chelsea.

The fact that Kante is the first player to ever lift the PL trophy with two clubs in consecutive seasons speaks volumes about the level of quality he possesses. It would not be an exaggeration to label Kante as an irreplaceable talent, which is exactly why Chelsea simply must reject PSG’s forthcoming advances in the summer.

Conte’s side have suffered a miserable decline this season after being so dominant in English football during the last campaign, and part of the reason for that shift relates to Kante’s failure to replicate his brilliant best form. If Chelsea want to make a significant improvement next season and challenge Manchester City at the summit of the table then they will need to keep hold of Kante, otherwise, they will be destined for another season of underachievement and widespread frustration.