Lampard: 'Fundamental' Kante is not for sale at Chelsea

Frank Lampard insisted Chelsea have no plans to sell the ‘fundamental’ N’Golo Kante amid rumors linking him to Inter Milan.

Kante has been an integral part of the Chelsea midfield since his €35.8m arrival from Leicester City in 2016, making 170 appearances in all competitions.

The last two seasons have been challenging for different reasons, though. He found himself shifted out of his favored holding role under Maurizio Sarri in 2018/19, and suffered a string of injury setbacks last term.

But while it hasn’t been an easy time as of late, the World Cup winner is still highly-rated. Clubs from Spain and Italy have all reportedly expressed an interest, with Inter Milan said to be among them.

The Telegraph reported on Thursday that Chelsea turned down an offer from Inter that included Marcelo Brozovic. They also made it clear Christian Eriksen is of no interest either. Therefore, Antonio Conte appears set to miss out on one of his top summer targets.

Now Lampard has set the record straight on Kane’s future by insisting there is no chance of an exit for the Frenchman.

“I think pretty much every club in the world would want N’Golo Kante,” the Blues boss told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He's fundamental… of course I want to keep N'Golo" 🇫🇷🔵

🎙️ Frank Lampard addresses the rumours on N'Golo Kanté leaving Stamford Bridge

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“I have seen those reports as well. He is an incredible player and person and I certainly don’t want to lose him. He’s fundamental in terms of what I’m trying to do.

“We can obviously talk about the attacking players we have but someone like N’Golo and the work he does in midfield… It was a difficult year for him last year because of the injuries.

“He came into the season with an injury and it was a domino effect through the year.

“It was probably a culmination of four or five years of games, so I’m really excited to have him fit. He looks fresh, he’s a big deal to me.

“Of course I want to keep N’Golo.”

Chelsea will begin their 2020/21 Premier League campaign away to Brighton on Monday.