Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante could leave Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window, according to a worrying new report.
Is Kante still a key man?
The Frenchman has been a magnificent servant for the Blues since joining from Leicester City in 2016, arriving fresh off the back of the Foxes' staggering Premier League title triumph. He has continued to be one of Europe's best midfielders in that time, arguably proving to be as important as any player at the club when fit, given his vast influence in the middle of the park.
Kante's 2022/23 season has been horribly disrupted by injuries, however, with only four league appearances coming his way, and it has no doubt played a part in Chelsea's vast struggles on the pitch, with the west Londoners languishing in the bottom half of the table.
The £290,000-a-week midfielder is out of contract at the end of this season, however, and of this point, he is yet to sign an extension at Stamford Bridge. That has understandably led to serious doubts surrounding his future and now a new update has emerged regarding the situation.
Could Kante leave Chelsea in the summer?
According to Football Insider, Chelsea "face a tough decision on the future" of Kante because the club need to "trim the squad and balance the books in the summer window" after splashing out more than £540million across the 2022-23 campaign.
While the Blues "want to keep him" moving forward, still seeing him as an important figure, his "high wages" mean he is someone who could be let go, in order to ease the wage bill. The report does say that "all parties are hopeful of striking a new agreement" over an extension, but it certainly doesn't seem nailed on, and an exit is far from out of the question.
Kante's wages are clearly huge, and at 32, he isn't getting any younger, but giving him a short-term new deal still makes complete sense, considering he can remain a formidable player for several years. Granted, injuries have become a problem over the years, but he has been called "a big game player" by Cesc Fabregas in the past and the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to nailing him down to a fresh contract.
Should Chelsea end up letting the France international leave for free, it would at least free up funds in the wage bill, but it would weaken the Blues' squad significantly in the process.