The French player, who ends his contract with Chelsea, prioritizes playing at the Camp Nou
He has the sporting OK and January will be key to closing the operation if he physically responds
Barça is advancing a lot to position itself in the signing of N’Golo Kanté for next season and at zero cost. The Frenchman has been in contact with the Blaugrana club for weeks and the bases of the agreement are practically closed at the expense of how he recovers from his hamstring injury. At the Blaugrana club they believe that it is a good market opportunity for a footballer who may be very necessary in the new project.
Kanté contacted Barça last summer but his position was not a priority. The French player wants to leave the Premier and, in principle, will not accept the renewal with Chelsea, so he will be free in June. Barça is clear that he is a top-level footballer and that at 31 he can bring physicality and experience. Everything has progressed naturally and in January it could be closed if the player recovers.
And it is that the big stumbling block is the hamstring injury for which Kanté had to undergo surgery at the end of October and left him without a World Cup. Barça wants him as long as there are no physical doubts since due to his characteristics, the Frenchman needs to be one hundred percent to perform.
Xavi Hernández likes the Kanté option to provide physicality and seniority to an area of the field that is led by the youngest players on the team. The Frenchman is a very positional footballer, but with great physical display and has evolved a lot when he gets off the ball. He can play perfectly in front of the defense and has competed at the highest level in European competitions.
Kanté’s profile fit from the outset, but Barça is also clear that despite the fact that he arrives free, his record must be adapted to the financial needs of the club. Kanté earns a lot of money at Chelsea, something that would not happen in Barcelona since his contract would be capped with a fixed price plus variables depending on performance and titles. It is the profile of contracts that Barça is doing now.
Likewise, the Blaugrana club remains very attentive to his teammate Jorginho, who is also ending his contract, and to Gundogan, from Manchester City. In the latter case, Barça sees it as more complicated because Gundogan could renew for City for a year after Guardiola’s continuity or decide to return to the Bundsliga. The Kanté case is the most advanced due to a technical decision and a preliminary agreement could be reached in January pending good physical tests.