£203m duo ‘on the radar’ to replace Kante at Stamford Bridge
Journalist Dean Jones claims that Chelsea are looking for N’Golo Kante’s long-term successor and have Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice “on the radar”.
The two English players have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent months following a succession of standout performances for their respective current clubs, Borussia Dortmund and West Ham United.
The only central midfielder to join Chelsea was Dennis Zakaria on a season-long loan, despite the fact that new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly oversaw a massive summer of expenditure during his first transfer window in charge.
And given that Jorginho and Kante are both in the final year of their present contracts, a solution maybe required quickly.
However, The Athletic have reported that Kante has asked for a three-year deal with the option to extend his stay by a further 12 months, while the Chelsea hierarchy have recently offered two years with a one-year option.
Only time will tell if the two parties are able to reach an agreement, but it seems as though the west London outfit have already identified his potential successors.
James Pearce of The Athletic disclosed that Chelsea are among Bellingham’s list of suitors while Sky Sports have claimed that they are also interested in prising Rice away from the London Stadium.
Jones has informed GiveMeSport that Chelsea are ‘already looking’ for Kante’s replacement and that both Bellingham, who has a £103 million price tag, and Rice, who could cost around £100m, are players that have been discussed at the capital club.
He said: “We know Chelsea are already looking for his successor. We know that Jude Bellingham’s on the radar, Declan Rice is on the radar.
“Other people are now going to be on the radar because we’ve got new figures coming into the club.”