Barcelona close to agreeing terms with Chelsea star - Reports

Chelsea superstar N’Golo Kante is in advanced negotiations with Barcelona and is keen to sign a preliminary contract in January, Spanish outlet SPORT have reported.

Chelsea's Kante is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. Despite suffering with niggling injury concerns over the last couple of seasons, there is plenty of interest in the 31-year-old midfielder. Barcelona are one of the frontrunners to secure his services.

With Sergio Busquets’ future in the air, Barcelona reportedly wish to futureproof their midfield by adding a player who can act as a pivot. Chelsea’s tried-and-tested French midfielder Kante is one of the frontrunners to fill in for the Spanish maestro.

Additionally, since Kante is set to become a free agent in June, Barcelona will not need to pay a dime to the Blues. The negotiations have been driven by the director of football, Mateu Alemany, and his priority is to go after suitable free transfers.

It has been claimed that Kante is also keen on moving to Catalonia and wants to sign a pre-agreement in January. The conversations have reportedly been positive so far, but the club are still not 100% certain about his transfer.

Kante has other notable offers on the table as well. Unless his future is decided soon, he could consider joining Serie A giants Juventus, who are also interested.

Barcelona have also kept track of two more suitable free agents (June 2023): Kante’s teammate Jorginho and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans. Still, it is the Frenchman who fits Busquets’ profile the best.

Barcelona coach Xavi and his staff, however, have their eyes on Real Sociedad’s 23-year-old midfielder Martin Zubimendi. Unlike Kante, Jorginho, or Tielemans, Zubimendi will not come as a free agent and has a €60 million release clause in his contract.

Xavi has reportedly asked the club to bring in Zubimendi in the summer, but the Barcelona board are skeptical. They believe that he is not experienced enough and are not confident about paying his hefty release clause amid financial turmoil.

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Chelsea star N’Golo Kante’s return could be further delayed, fears medical expert

France international N’Golo Kante underwent hamstring surgery in October, which ruled him out for up to four months. Although his return date has not been set, it was initially expected that he would be back on the pitch by the end of February 2023.

Medical journalist Ben Dinnery, however, feels there are no guarantees about the Chelsea midfielder’s return to action.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said:

“This is a difficult one and it always is, particularly with hamstring problems. He had surgery in October. Now that initial timing sort of suggests we’re looking at probably around three or maybe even closer to four months, so it’s certainly early into 2023.

“But, you know, given the problems and concerns and ongoing issues that we’ve had with N’Golo Kante, there are no guarantees, as with any long-term injury.”

Kante has only featured in two games for Chelsea in the 2022-23 season, failing to score or assist.