N’Golo Kante Close To Agreeing Pre-contract Deal With Barcelona

Chelsea Defensive midfielder, N’Golo Kante is reportedly on the verge of agreeing on a pre-contract deal with FC Barcelona ahead of the expiration of his contract next summer.

N’Golo Kante who has been playing for Chelsea since July 16, 2016, has until the summer of 2023 before his contract with the Premier League club expires.

Hence, cash-strapped FC Barcelona is determined to offer the 31-year-old Frenchman a pre-contract deal as soon as January. If that scales through, Kante will join Barca for free in the summer of 2023.

The club’s coach, Xavi believes N’Golo Kante will make his midfield better ahead of the 2023-2024 season.

Xavi decided to go for Kante since Frenkie de Jong’s future at FC Barcelona is still uncertain, Sergio Busquets is on the verge of retirement, and Franck Kessie has failed to be convincing under the Spanish coach.

The likes of Pedri and Gavi are seen as midfielders for the future, hence, an experienced midfielder like N’Golo Kante is needed to steady the ship.

Aside from Kante, coach Xavi is considering other midfield options like Leicester’s Youri Tielemans and Kante’s team-mate Jorginho, who will also be free agents next summer.

Recall that N’Golo Kante missed the just concluded 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to his string of injuries. He is currently battling to recover from a Hamstring Injury.

In the last 18 months, he has managed to play just two Premier League games for Chelsea.

Despite Kante’s fitness issues, Chelsea has been trying to renew his contract but the two parties have not been able to agree on personal terms.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, N’Golo Kante might sign a pre-contract deal with FC Barcelona in January which will permit him to join the Spanish team for free next summer.

Since he joined Chelsea in 2016, Kante has played 262 times for the Premier League club. The defensive midfielder has scored 13 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions for the Stamford Bridge side.