Kanté on verge of signing new Chelsea contract

French midfielder N’Golo Kanté is close to signing a new contract at Chelsea after negotiations stepped up this month.

Kanté, the World Cup-winning France midfielder, entered the final six months of his deal at Stamford Bridge on January 1 and has been free to sign a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs. Long-term admirers Paris Saint-Germain had been monitoring the situation.

However, the 31-year-old, who hasn’t played for Chelsea since August because of injuries, has been inclined to remain at the west London club and is now set to agree to a short-term deal.

Kanté’s future at Stamford Bridge had been uncertain after Thomas Tuchel, the former head coach, said that his injury record could not be ignored when offering a new contract. He was the highest-paid player at the club until Raheem Sterling’s arrival from Manchester City in the summer but has missed 60 matches for Chelsea in the past three years due to various injuries.

Chelsea are confident that his recovery is going well and expect Kanté to return with the same influence displayed over the past 6½ years, in which time he has been integral to winning nine trophies including the 2021 Champions League.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are set to hold further talks with Mason Mount and Jorginho this month as both players have expiring contracts. Mount, the 23-year-old academy product, will have only one year remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge in the summer, while Jorginho is free to speak to overseas clubs as his contract expires at the end of the season. The midfielder is considering a return to his homeland of Italy.

Chelsea have been aiming to address the midfield issues in Graham Potter’s squad during the January transfer window, with attempts to sign the World Cup-winning Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández from Benfica. The Portuguese club has publicly expressed their anger at Chelsea’s tactics, with Roger Schmidt, the Benfica manager, accusing them of being “disrespectful” and “pretending” to be interested in paying his £105 million release clause.

As reported by The Times, Chelsea are considering Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister as a potential option should the pursuit of Fernández fail.

Chelsea travel to Manchester City in the FA Cup third round on Sunday after being beaten by Pep Guardiola’s team at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, a result that leaves Potter’s side with one league win in eight games. Chelsea acknowledge the remarkable injury record Potter has had to contend with, as Mount, Sterling and Christian Pulisic joined a list of senior players unavailable due to injury.

Sterling is undergoing a scan to assess the extent of damage to his hamstring injury, sustained in the first minute of Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat by City.