Chelsea are reportedly reluctant to sell N’Golo Kante to Inter Milan due to their cold relationship with Antonio Conte.
Kante has lost his indispensable first-team status at Chelsea under Frank Lampard. After overseeing his influence in the capital dwindle, the World Cup winner appears willing to move on in the summer.
The signing of Kai Havertz has brought Chelsea’s outlay to over £200m. As such, they now need to offload some of their stars to balance the books.
The 29-year-old midfielder would command a hefty price tag and is, therefore, thought to be the one to front-run the departures.
Inter Milan and Manchester United have emerged as the leading candidates to land Kante. But, the Nerazzurri are likely to miss out on the Frenchman’s signature.
The reason is Antonio Conte. According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have yet to forget the way the former Juventus boss forced his getaway. So, they are not interested in handing him a transfer boost.
Conte carries a reputation as one of the hardest-to-work-with managers. A recognition he well deserved for his actions at Chelsea.
After two years in charge, the Italian manager had a nasty break-up with the London side.
The 51-year-old left Stamford Bridge in acrimonious circumstances, forcing the Blues to cough out north of £26m in compensation.
Meanwhile, Kante remains on the fringes of the Chelsea squad. Having dealt with several injury setbacks throughout 2019/20, he accrued 28 Premier League appearances.
The midfielder’s game-time could suffer more restrictions next term. Indeed, Kante’s attributes have fallen out of Lampard’s tactical set-up.
With the emergence of Mason Mount and several new faces at Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman has become a bit-part figure.
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