N’Golo Kante is on the cusp of completing a transfer from Chelsea to Al Ittihad (Picture: Getty)
Al Ittihad are confident of signing N’Golo Kante from Chelsea in the next 24 hours.
The experienced France international had been in negotiations over a deal to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino keen to retain his services.
Kante has been a mainstay of in the successful Chelsea sides which have won a series of major honours under a succession of different managers since his arrival from Leicester seven years ago.
The 32-year-old’s influence has waned over the course of the last 18 months, however, with injuries beginning to take their toll.
Indeed, Kante was forced to miss last December’s World Cup and was restricted to just nine appearances for Chelsea last season.
Despite the question marks over his durability, Chelsea had hoped to agree an extension to a contract that was due to expire next summer, but the offer of a two-year deal worth £172million from Al Ittihad has turned Kante’s head and he is, according to Fabrizio Romano, set to complete his move imminently.
Romelu Lukaku could be on the move again this summer (Picture: Getty)
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious recruitment drive has already seen the likes of Karim Benzema join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Pro League and Romelu Lukaku is reportedly keen on following suit.
Lukaku enjoyed a successful loan spell at Inter last season, albeit one that ended in frustration after his error-strewn cameo in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat against Manchester City.
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The Belgium international was said to be keen on remaining with Inter having harboured no intention of returning to Chelsea, despite the arrival of Pochettino.
Goal report that Lukaku is jetting in to Saudi Arabia today with talks scheduled with Al-Hilal over a potential €50m move.
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