Chelsea: Brazilian midfielder linked; Messi update; Leicester star rumoured

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Reports today suggest that Chelsea are about to formalise their interest in Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kanté. The Frenchman proved to be a revelation last season as The Foxes surprised everybody by winning the Premier League. It is looking increasingly likely that the 25-year-old will move on this summer, with a number of clubs hoping to activate the £20 million release clause in his Leicester contract.

Today will be new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte’s first day at the office, and it is claimed that he will lay down an early marker by registering his interest in Kanté. Conte is keen to add a midfielder to his squad, having already had a bid turned down for Roma’s Radja Nainggolan. Kanté, who joined Leicester from Caen last summer, had been linked with a move to Shanghai SIPG, but it is understood that he does not wish to move to China.

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A move to Chelsea could be well be a good fit for the player, who made 156 interceptions and 126 tackles in the last season, the most in the Premier League. As part of the fast, aggressive pressing system that Conte encourages his teams to play, the Frenchman could flourish even further and make the step up to Champions League level, something which his performances at Euro 2016 have suggested he is very capable of.

Another man linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is Lazio’s Felipe Anderson. Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign the 23-year-old midfielder, with Italian newspaper Gazzetta della Sport claiming that the player’s agent, Giuliano Bertolucci, has close ties with Conte.

Although 2015/16 turned out to be a disappointing campaign for the Brazilian playmaker, he is still regarded as one of Europe’s top talents, and the Blues may see this as their opportunity to acquire him for a cut-price fee.

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Manchester United reportedly had a €50 million bid for the player turned down last summer, and after a season where he managed seven goals and four assists, it appears as though Lazio are ready to finally cash in on their man. Anderson would have to compete with the likes of Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard for a spot in the Chelsea team, so would need to improve on the form he displayed in Serie A last season to have any chance of holding down a starting position in Conte’s side.

Meanwhile, after Lionel Messi was linked with a sensational, yet unlikely move to Chelsea earlier in the week, Barcelona have apparently insisted that he will remain at the Camp Nou for the upcoming season.

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Messi had been linked with a potential move away from the club following the controversial tax evasion case, and it was claimed last week that the player’s father had recently met with Chelsea representatives about a potential move to West London. However, it is believed that the player is highly unlikely to leave Spain this summer and that if he ever does choose to do so, a return to Argentina is the most likely destination for the Argentinian international.

This will come as a disappointment to many followers of English football, who had hoped to see the 29-year-old plying his trade in the Premier League at some point in his career. Messi still has a few years at the very top of the game left in him, but it looks as though he intends to see this out in his adopted home of Catalonia as opposed to London or Manchester.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Alex Hannam