N’Golo Kante rejects new Chelsea contract

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N’Golo Kante’s contract with Chelsea expires at the end of this season, and as revealed by David Ornstein in his Monday column for The Athletic, the talks over a new one have hit a snag. Apparently, the club are only willing to offer the experienced midfielder two years while keeping an option on the third, while at the age of 31, Kante wants longer commitment than that.

That kind of contract was handed out to striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is two years older than Kante, upon his arrival from Barcelona on Deadline Day. Defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who is the same age as Kante, signed a four-year deal when he came in from Napoli.

Kante’s quality certainly cannot be questioned. He was one of the most important players for Leicester City as the Foxes shocked the world by winning the Premier League title in 2015/16, and having moved to Stamford Bridge the following summer, repeated the feat with Chelsea as Antonio Conte guided them to their last title to date. In addition to becoming world champion with France in 2018, Kante has gone on to win the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Europa League, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea. A truly magnificent career for a player extremely popular within the club.

However, speaking on the matter of the contract negotiations before getting sacked last week, former manager Thomas Tuchel hinted that Kante’s injury record, certainly not a good one, has to come into the talks. Of the seven matches Chelsea have played this term so far, the defensive midfielder appeared only in two, a standout performer though he was on both those occasions.

If the situation isn’t resolved soon, there will surely be a number of clubs willing to take Kante as a free agent next summer. Ornstein says two in the Premier League are already watching the developments closely, while there is interest from abroad as well.