N'Golo Kante of Chelsea battles for possession with Hamza Choudhury of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea FC at The King Power Stadium on February 01, 2020 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)
According to AS (h/t Daily Mail), Chelsea’s star midfielder N’Golo Kante is on a three-man shortlist of Real Madrid as they look to bolster their squad.
The 29-year-old joins the likes of Rennes’ 17-year-old star Eduardo Camavinga and Lille’s Boubakary Soumare in the list of targets, who Zinedine Zidane believes can strengthen his midfield next season. Meanwhile, Zidane’s Madrid have been excellent this season as they lie second in the table, just two points short of leaders Barcelona.
However, Madrid has been the defensively stronger side among the two Spanish outfits, having conceded just 19 goals compared to Barcelona’s 31 from 27 league games.
The Galacticos owe it all to their star midfielder Casemiro, who has been one of the reasons for their impressive spell in the league this season. Predominantly a deep-lying playmaker, the Brazilian has been crucial to Madrid’s good defensive record this season.
With 12 clean sheets from 25 league games, the four-time Champions League winner with Madrid has once again given a clear picture of his excellent defensive capabilities. However, it’s not just in attack that Casemiro has stood out this season. He has been equally dominant in attack, scoring four goals and giving as many assists from 35 games across all competitions.
A regular within the Madrid side since the 2015-16 campaign, Casemiro has featured in almost all the games for the La Liga outfit, and boss Zidane is now in the lookout for a player who could ease the burden on his star midfielder.
That said, Blues midfielder Kante has evolved as one of his primary targets. A crucial player for Chelsea, Kante, however, has not had the best of campaigns this year.
A string of injuries has seen the defensive midfielder feature just 18 times for manager Frank Lampard’s side this season. This has forced the Blues hierarchy to listen to offers for the Frenchman, who has won them a Premier League title, an FA Cup and a Europa League.
However, despite being in the sidelines mostly due to injuries, he has still managed to score three goals, reminding everyone of the talent that he is. He is also a World Cup winner with France and has another Premier League title to his name, which he won with his former side Leicester City.
A proven performer, Kante could thus be an excellent addition for a club like Real Madrid. Moreover, his arrival will provide a little more freedom for Casemiro, who likes to go forward. Also, with the likes of star midfielders Toni Kroos (30) and Luka Modric (34) already past their thirties, Kante will indeed be a perfect fit at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Roping in an established star like Kante is a definite boost for a club of Madrid’s stature. Having proved his mettle already, Kante would not take much time to adjust to the new surroundings in Spain. Moreover, his arrival will give Zidane plenty of options in the middle rather than just relying on Casemiro all the time.
