Chelsea transfer news: N’Golo Kante linked to Real Madrid and Juventus
Transfer ban appeal will have a major influence on the futures of the Stamford Bridge stars
Kante cool on Real
Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has brushed off suggestions that he could be a target for Real Madrid in the summer.
Zinedine Zidane is known to be a fan of the French World Cup winner and speculation is growing in Spain that the 27-year-old Kante will be Real’s No.1 transfer target at the end of the season.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kante, who pockets a £290,000-a-week with Chelsea, is allegedly unhappy with being played out of position by Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge and that could be the hook which Zidane uses to entice him to the Spanish capital.
The Daily Star carries comments from Kante when asked if he could make the move to the Bernabeu. “Today I’m still at Chelsea and I still have aims here,” he replied. “What is said elsewhere is not important.”
Juventus link
Pressed on the pull of playing under a French legend, Kante said: “Even if Zidane calls me, it’s not important, I’m at Chelsea today and I’m focused on that.”
Nonetheless, says the Star, Real are determined to rebuild their ailing squad and the paper says Chelsea could find it hard to refuse a big money offer.
But according to the Italian press Juventus are eyeing Kante as the man to replace Miralem Pjanic in the event that the Bosnian midfielder quits Turin in the summer.
According to Calciomercato, Real Madrid are more interested in Pjanic than Kante and will table a £75m bid in June.
Appeal date
What may have a major influence on any decision of Kante’s is the outcome of Chelsea’s appeal after their Fifa transfer ban.
The Daily Mail reports that the hearing will take place on 11 April and the Blues hope they can get the ban overturned, otherwise they won’t be able to sign any players either this summer or next January after being found guilty of breaking the rules surrounding the transfer of minors.
That would leave them at a considerable disadvantage to their Premier League and European rivals and could possibly lead to an exodus.
Danish dismay
But not if the Blues can help it, according to defender Andreas Christensen. In an interview with Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, the 22-year-old said that if the club can’t overturn the ban they “want to keep all the players”.
That’s bad news for the Denmark international, who has barely featured this season and wants a fresh start. “The situation I have ended up in has been very difficult to accept,” he said.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona have been linked to Christensen, but like Kante he will have to wait until next month to find out if he’ll be able to leave.
Upcoming Premier League fixtures and TV guide
Saturday 30 March (3pm unless stated)
- Fulham vs. Manchester City (12.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Southampton
- Burnley vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Crystal Palace vs. Huddersfield Town
- Leicester City vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Manchester United vs. Watford
- West Ham United vs. Everton (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
Sunday 31 March
- Cardiff City vs. Chelsea (2.05pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
Monday 1 April
- Arsenal vs. Newcastle United (8pm, live on Sky Sports)
Tuesday 2 April
- Watford vs. Fulham (7.45pm)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Manchester United (7.45pm, live on Sky Sports)
Wednesday 3 April
- Chelsea vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (7.45pm)
- Manchester City vs. Cardiff City (7.45pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Crystal Palace (7.45pm)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'The Hum': the real-life noise behind The Listeners
In The Spotlight Can some of us also hear the disturbing sound that plagues characters in the hit TV show – and where is it coming from?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are we any closer to identifying UFOs?
Podcast Plus, will deals with Tunisia and Kurdistan help Labour? And what next for the Wagner Group?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 - 22 November
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Thomas Tuchel to become next England football manager
Speed Read 'Divisive' German coach hopes to lead the men's team to victory
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
Why everyone's talking about A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published