Chelsea will have a tough task on their hands in searching for a new midfield general with N’Golo Kante’s departure very much in the offing ahead of the January transfer window.
The World Cup-winning midfielder is out of contract at Stamford Bridge next summer and it appears unlikely that Chelsea will be tabling his desired three-year extension on the table with the offer of a two-year deal turned down.
Catalan giants FC Barcelona, long-standing admirers of the France international maestro who missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup with an injury, are believed to be on the verge of signing Kante as the Barca camp prepare a pre-contract agreement for the Chelsea contract rebel.
With the new boss Graham Potter, whose side endured a horrid run of results before the World Cup break, under pressure to overhaul his squad in the coming transfer windows, signing a new midfield player for the first-team roster will be of much importance.
The Blues have been linked with some high-profile names in the transfer market in their bid to improve upon their engine room options and it would come as no surprise should Potter make an approach for a fresh pair of legs at the end of the season.
Here are three players we reckon could provide Chelsea with the perfect replacement for the outgoing N’Golo Kante –
1. Declan Rice
Released from the Chelsea youth setup at the age of 14, Rice went on to sign for local rivals West Ham United and has grown into one of the most influential players across the country.
A regular for the Three Lions at just 23 years of age, the West Ham skipper is reportedly one of the top names on the shopping list for the Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly who is willing to fork out a hefty fee to land the English midfielder.
It is no secret that Boehly will have to face intense competition from a host of other Premier League bigwigs if they are going to get their man whose value in the market has been on the rise in the recent years.
2. Moises Caicedo
The Ecuadorian talent has taken the Premier League by storm since he made the breakthrough at Brighton earlier this year and firmed his credentials as a regular for the Seagulls.
Brighton will be sure to slap an eyewatering price tag on their in-demand midfield star with the south Coast side pocketing £50 million for Ben White’s move to Arsenal in 2021 and forcing Chelsea to pay £62 million for Marc Cucurella last summer.
Caicedo has so much more to offer in an attacking sense with the player scoring two Premier League goals in just 14 outings to his tally and is expected to thrive in the 3-4-3 system adopted by his former Brighton and now Chelsea coach Potter.
3. Edson Alvarez
Another player who has been heavily linked with a move to the Bridge is the Mexican international Edson Alvarez who came close to signing for Chelsea in the summer.
Chelsea lodged a £43 million bid in the later stages of the transfer window and Ajax were quick to turn it down which should not put off the Blues in reviving their interest in the midfielder.
