N’Golo Kante has ended talks over a possible switch to Barcelona and will sign a new contract with Chelsea, according to reports.
The France international is out of contract at the end of June after turning 31 and his next deal could be the last one of his career.
Kante moved to Stamford Bridge from Leicester City in 2016 for £32m after the midfielder helped the Foxes win the Premier League title.
He repeated the feat with Chelsea in his first season and has gone on to be a crucial player for the Blues, making 262 appearances while also winning the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League in his time at the club.
Chelsea are reportedly keen to keep him on with one report at the end of December insisting there had been a breakthrough in talks over a new contract.
The Athletic journalist David Ornstein claimed that there had been ‘positive progress’ in negotiations and there was ‘increasing confidence’ that Kante would remain a Blues player.
However, just a week later, reports in Spain commented that Kante is still ‘wanting’ to leave Chelsea in the summer on a free transfer with Barcelona and Al-Nassr both interested in the World Cup winner.
But another Spanish publication, Nacional, have now claimed that ‘he will not land at’ Barcelona despite a transfer to the Camp Nou ‘considered closed just a few weeks ago’.
They add that ‘talks have broken down’ between the two parties and Kante ‘will end up extending his relationship with Chelsea for several more seasons’.
Nacional continue: ‘The fact that he has been injured since August, and that he is of advanced age, has caused Xavi to advise against Laporta closing an agreement.’
Chelsea have already been busy sealing signings of their own this winter with Molde’s David Datro Fofana, Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and Vasco da Gama’s Andrey Santos all completing January transfers to Stamford Bridge.
And now Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reckons Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram is a ‘serious option’ before the transfer deadline at the end of the month with Chelsea weighing up the possibility making ‘an official offer’.
Plettenberg wrote on Twitter: “News #Thuram: The loan of Joao Felix was not the end. Chelsea still searching a finisher. And Thuram is a serious option & discussed at Chelsea! He’s interesting because of his profile. Club considering an official offer. We’ve been told: He wants to stay in winter!”
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