Chelsea given 'free run' to sign N'Golo Kante's successor - Reports

Chelsea are reportedly the frontrunners to sign Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. The midfielder has long been touted as the successor to N'Golo Kante in France's national team midfield. He could take up the same role with the Blues as well.

According to Football.London, the London-based club can easily get Tchouameni as competitors are looking at other options for the role. Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool were rumored to be in contention for the Frenchman earlier.

Kante has been with the Blues since he made the switch after a title-winning campaign with Leicester City in 2016. He has been vital to Chelsea's midfield and their recent success. He put in a man-of-the-match performance in the final of the 2020-21 Champions League against Manchester City, which the Blues won 1-0.

However, the tireless Frenchman has been plagued with injuries and hasn't been able to play consistently. Hence, the European Champions will look to sign Tchouameni to eventually integrate him into the squad for the future.

Manchester United were rumored to be heavily interested in the youngster but seemed to have turned their interest towards RB Leipzig's Amadou Haidara.

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Chelsea down to the top-four race?

At the start of the season, the Blues were seen as one of the favorites for the Premier League title. They showed promise, holding the pole position until December. However, they have fallen off a cliff since.

Injuries, Covid-19 and poor form have seen them drop points regularly. They currently sit in third position in the table, 13 points off leaders Manchester City. Hence, the title race seems over for the Blues this season.

They are now just six points away from fourth-placed West Ham United. Arsenal and Manchester United have played two games fewer than them, while Tottenham Hotspur have played four fewer matches.

If Spurs are to win all their games in hand, they can go above Chelsea. Arsenal and United can reduce the gap to just two and five points respectively by winning their games in hand.

This is all just conjecture, of course, as teams need to win these games in reality to earn these points. But based on outside results, the Blues could be down to a race for the top four this season.