A damaging Chelsea exit could have the second effect of aiding Arsenal in their pursuit of midfield reinforcements, with PSG involved in both cases, per a report.
The Telegraph recently shed light on PSG’s looming pursuit of Chelsea midfield general N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman, 30, has entered the final 18 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge. While that isn’t necessarily cause for immediate concern, PSG’s transfer interest is.
The report reaffirmed PSG’s long-standing interest in Kante. If a summer offer arrived, Chelsea could be tempted to cash in on a player who has begun to struggle with injury in recent seasons.
Kante remains arguably the world’s greatest holding midfielder when fit and firing. Indeed, his impressive string of man of the match displays in Chelsea’s march to the Champions League final last year reiterated his importance to the Blues.
His departure would undoubtedly be felt, though Chelsea may already have plans afoot over a £100m+ successor.
Now, according to Football London, a Kante move to PSG could inadvertently help Arsenal with their midfield problems.
Kante deal could push Wijnaldum to Arsenal
The Gunners sought to add to their midfield ranks throughout the winter window. The player they came closest to signing was Juventus’ Arthur Melo. However, a disagreement over the length of his initial loan spell laid waste to the move.
The outlet claim Granit Xhaka remains a priority for Jose Mourinho at Roma in the summer. Mohamed Elneny could also depart with his contract expiring at season’s end.
That would leave just Thomas Partey, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles for Mikel Arteta to choose from in the engine room. Maitland-Niles is currently on loan at Roma, but it’s looking unlikely they will activate their buy option.