Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante wants to remain at Stamford Bridge despite strong interest from Inter Milan, according to reports.
The 29-year-old struggled with injuries last campaign and played only 22 matches in the Premier League. And Kante was a key figure in the blues’ title win under Antonio Conte in 2017, and the Italian coach wants to add the Frenchman to his squad this summer.
Inter Milan are reportedly hoping to agree a loan deal with Frank Lampard’s side, which will include an obligation to sign for €50 million (£45.1m).
But according to Telefoot, Kante has no intention of leaving the club this summer. And Chelsea are also unwilling to allow the France international leave.
Kante now appears to have overcome his injury problems as he impressed during France’s 1-0 victory over Sweden last week. He is now expected to start once again in their game against Croatia on Tuesday.
Speaking this year, Conte hailed Kante as one of the best he’s ever managed. ‘In my opinion, he can play in any position in midfield. We are talking about an amazing player. He is fantastic with the ball, without the ball,’ the Italian said.
‘When you have N’Golo in your team, you can think you are playing with one player more.
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‘You can find a smile on his face every day. He is a very positive guy and one of the best players I have had in my career as a manager.’
Meanwhile, Lampard underlined in the summer how important Kante will be for Chelsea once he reaches full fitness, he said: ‘In terms of N’Golo, I’ve seen some talk and reports about him and his future at the club.
‘I’ve said it a lot of times about N’Golo – one of the best midfield players in the world. I would have loved to be able to play with him. He has everything.
‘Coming back to Chelsea and having N’Golo Kante is something I really want to appreciate and work with. Because of injuries it’s been tough for N’Golo. It’s nice to see him a little bit fresh.
‘N’Golo is so important to us going forward. We need him regularly and hopefully we’ll have that now.’
