Fabrizio Romano has stated that N’golo Kante was at one point very close to signing a new contract to keep him at Chelsea for next season.
He took to Twitter to claim that his latest injury saw things stall on that front, before he agreed terms with Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad.
It is reportedly any moment now that Kante’s move away from Stamford Bridge will be confirmed, ending his seven-year stay at the club.
He has proven himself to be one of the most important players in the club’s history, being a key player in their title winning campaign under Antonio Conte.
However, injuries have severely plagued his last two campaigns, leaving him unable to play in more than half of the games in that period.
Kante had new Chelsea contract offer
Romano has claimed that there was a contract in place to keep the France international at the club, although the mounting injury concerns contributed to his time coming to an end.
He said: “Negotiations started on June 6 — Saudi emissaries were in London to open talks and convince Kanté. It took 13 days for contracts and medical tests.
“Kanté was very close to extending his contract at Chelsea in March then new injury, Saudi bid… and he’s Al Ittihad player now”
Kante leaving is the headline name in what could potentially become a bit of an exodus in midfield ahead of next season.
Mateo Kovacic is reportedly close to a move to Champions League winners Manchester City, with personal terms being agreed a while ago now.
The Blues will be hoping to get a decent fee for a player who only has one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and has seemingly decided that he wants to leave the club.
