N'Golo Kante could reportedly be set for a shock exit from Chelsea.
The Blues parted ways with two first-team starters at the end of the 2021/22 season, with Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger departing as free agents for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.
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The London club will be hoping to ensure history does not repeat itself in this campaign, having already given lengthy new contracts to Reece James and Armando Broja, while reports suggest that Mason Mount and Edouard Mendy are also in talks over new deals.
However, two Chelsea players who regularly feature in the middle of the park, Jorginho and Kante, are both in a precarious situation as their contracts are set to expire at the end of this season.
According to The Athletic, the latter will leave if there is no progress in talks over an extension after he rejected a previous offer from Graham Potter's new club.
It is said Chelsea had previously tabled a verbal offer to renew the 31-year-old's deal for two years with the option a third season, but this was rejected as the Frenchman wants a longer contract.
Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined the Blues from Napoli in July, is Kante's age and signed a four-year deal with the Londoners, while 33-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined on a two-year contract that includes an option of a third year at the beginning of this month.
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Before he was relieved of his duties last week, Thomas Tuchel viewed the France midfielder's injury troubles as a serious factor for the club to consider if they were to decide to offer him the kind of deal he wants.
Kante has already missed five matches this season through injury, and this will likely influence negotiations going forward, meaning there could be a real possibility he will leave Chelsea in the coming months.
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