Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante will be available for £20m this summer, with a whole host of clubs likely to enter a bidding war.
According to The Daily Mail, Paris Saint-Germain are expected to be amongst the interested parties and naturally with their financial strength, they will be considered as front-runners for the French international.
However, the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are also monitoring the situation, with a view of activating the release clause in Kante’s contract that was agreed upon when he joined the Foxes from Caen last summer.
The 25-year-old has three years remaining on his current deal with the Premier League leaders, and for the most part it would seem nonsensical for him to leave a club on the brink of winning the title having already qualified for the Champions League.
As Claudio Ranieri will look to continue to build and improve both the squad and the club as a whole, Kante will naturally have a vital role to play in that project.
A move elsewhere to a bigger club would bring obvious advantages, but there is a risk as with many players before him have experienced that he could come to the realisation that the grass isn’t always greener and won’t have such a prominent role.
As noted by The Mail, Ranieri has already delivered a brilliant assessment summing up the point above: “I tell them, ‘Hey, why do you want to go there? To carry the suitcases? Stay with me. You will play.'”
The Italian tactician has made clear that he will not keep players against their will at the King Power Stadium, as his ability to build a positive atmosphere and instil belief in his side have been fundamental to their success this season.
In turn, having disgruntled players in the squad will likely undo all that hard work, and given their position and financial boost this summer, Leicester may well even be confident of further improving their squad even if they lose individuals in the process.