N'Golo Kante is yet to return after picking up a hamstring injury against Watford (Getty Images)
According to The Guardian (h/t Daily Express), Inter Milan are ready to offer Christian Eriksen to Chelsea in a proposed swap deal that would see N’Golo Kante move the other way to San Siro.
Eriksen, 28, only joined the Nerazzurri from Tottenham for £17million back in January but the Serie A giants are already making plans to offload him this summer after the Dane struggled to establish himself as a regular starter under manager Antonio Conte. (The Guardian h/t Daily Express)
Chelsea, though, are having none of it and have already made it very clear that they have no interest in Eriksen. Inter are also trying to tempt the Blues into selling the World Cup winner by proposing the idea of Marcelo Brozovic moving to Stamford Bridge. But Frank Lampard is not at all keen to sanction a departure for Kante. (Guardian h/t Express)
The West London giants have by far been the highest-spending club in the Premier League this summer after serving a transfer ban last year and failing to sign anyone in January.
Chelsea have already grabbed the headlines on several occasions with blockbuster deals for Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Kai Havertz, with Lampard making several exciting additions to his forward line. Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr have also been roped in on free transfers to shore up the backline.
To put things into perspective, the Blues have already spent a fortune to improve the quality of their supply lines with deals for Ziyech and Havertz. In addition to that, Chelsea also have England internationals Ross Barkley and Mason Mount in their ranks to ensure healthy competition for places, thus nullifying the need to bring in someone like Christian Eriksen.
If Chelsea were to accept Inter’s proposed swap deal, it would mean adding another creative midfielder to an already well-stocked attacking unit at the cost of weakening their defensive midfield by parting ways with N’Golo Kante.
Yes, Eriksen presents a tried and tested option in the Premier League, but he’s not someone that the Blues need at the moment. On the contrary, Kante is one of the senior players at the club and has worn the captain’s armband in the pre-season fixtures. That is another indication of the fact that Lampard holds him in high regard as a true leader in the middle of the park.
Kante struggled with recurrent injuries in the previous campaign, registering just 28 appearances across all competitions. The Frenchman’s effectiveness in a box-to-box role at Chelsea, as opposed to his natural defensive midfield position, has often been called into question.
However, with Jorginho’s influence fading towards the back end of last season following the restart, the World Cup winner remains pretty much a vital cog in Chelsea’s midfield engine. Youngster Billy Gilmour and Mateo Kovacic are capable of slotting into Jorginho’s shoes. But neither of them boasts a level of pedigree comparable to Kante in that position.
The Blues are expected to put up a challenge for the league title this season after a summer of massive investment. And it goes without saying that losing N’Golo Kante would be a huge blow to their chances.
Despite his age, the Frenchman remains one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet. Eriksen might be a top-quality player in his own right but there doesn’t seem to be a place for him in Frank Lampard’s side at the moment.