Two Saudi Arabian clubs compete for Kante

Midfielder N'golo Kante has been offered a salary of up to 107 million USD if he moves to play in Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi delegation arrived in London on June 6 to present their plans to sign Kante, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. According to him, there are two clubs competing for the French international's signature.

Kante is the next star invited to play in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuters — Kante is the next star invited to play in Saudi Arabia. Photo: *Reuters*

The Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad, who have just signed Karim Benzema, are the most likely destination for Kante. Next up is Al Nassr, who own Cristiano Ronaldo. If Kante agrees to play in the Saudi Pro League, he could be paid up to $107 million, including salary, image rights and several commercial deals.

On May 11, Kante hinted that he would sign a new contract with Chelsea. This is the 32-year-old midfielder's priority because he still has affection for the Stamford Bridge team and likes living in London.

In March, Chelsea planned to offer Kante a new two-year contract with the option of a further year. However, the French midfielder then suffered an injury, causing the London club to hesitate.

After a disappointing season in which they finished 12th in the Premier League, Chelsea were determined to make changes this summer, appointing former manager Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine's first challenge was to restructure the squad, which had been bloated under previous boss Graham Potter.

According to the Daily Mail , Pochettino could offload 15 players, including Kante. The others are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.

Kante joined Chelsea in 2016, shortly after winning the Premier League with Leicester. At Stamford Bridge, he won the 2016-17 Premier League, the 2017-18 FA Cup, the 2020-2021 Champions League, the 2018-19 Europa League, the 2021 UEFA Super Cup and the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup.

Duy Doan

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