90min

Maurizio Sarri Hoping to Be Reunited With N'Golo Kante as Juve Suspect Chelsea May Sell

By Ross Kennerley

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Maurizio Sarri is keen to bring Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante to Juventus, as the Italian looks to forge a midfield trio capable of matching any other triumvirate in Europe.

World Cup-winner Kante has long been considered one of the continent's finest holding midfielders, ever since his stunning campaign with Leicester City when the Foxes defied the odds to lift the Premier League title in 2016.​

Signing for ​Chelsea in the aftermath of that success, the Frenchman has continued to perform a starring role for both club and country, prompting his former manager Sarri to take note and inform his club's vice chairman Pavel Nedved that he wants to bring the 28-year-old to Turin.

According to the ​Daily Mail, Juventus believe this would be achievable with a bid worth £70m, more than doubling the amount the Blues forked on to bring ​Kante to Stamford Bridge.

It is claimed that a combination of Aaron Ramsey, Miralem Pjanic and Kante would be the perfect trio for Sarri, who has tried multiple combinations in the centre of the park since the beginning of the Serie A season.

Currently under a transfer embargo, Chelsea were unable to sign any players during the summer - barring Matteo Kovacic who was able to join due to a loophole in the ban - meaning Frank Lampard has fielded young academy players for much of the season.

The Mail claim this new approach might tempt the Blues to sell, but taking a glance at Chelsea's young stars, not any of them can match the tenacity and engine that Kante possesses. Sure, £70m would be a fee that would be considered, but to lose a player of his quality is something no manager would sanction lightly.

While there is no mention in the report of whether this would be a January move or one for next summer, one can safely assume it would be the latter, simply because it would be footballing suicide to sanction Kante's departure when no player can be brought in as a replacement. 

There is no doubt that ​Juventus, or any major European club for that matter, would be keen on the ​Premier League star, but assuming Chelsea would be willing to part with Kante so lightly is jumping the gun somewhat. Sure, there is the player's wishes to consider as well, who may feel he needs to seek a new challenge if Chelsea's season begins to derail at any point.