N'Golo Kante is believed to be on the verge of leaving Chelsea soon after becoming the latest high-profile star to receive a mouthwatering proposal from a Saudi Arabian giant.
The France international has been riddled with injuries over the past 12 months, having played only 685 minutes of football in the entire 2022/23 campaign.
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Although this has been a huge concern for Chelsea, they were reportedly still prepared to hand him a short-term contract renewal with his current deal expiring at the end of this month.
However, reports now suggest that the defensive midfielder's future may no longer be at Stamford Bridge after months of negotiations between the club and his representatives.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Saudi emissaries were in London earlier this week to present an official proposal to Kante worth a staggering €100 million (R2 billion) a year. The deal is also said to include the player's image rights and commercial deals.
Although it was initially reported that both Al Ittihad and Al Nassr were interested in his services, the former is now understood to be the leading the race after their delegation presented an official offer to the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner.
The newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions, who secured Karim Benzema's signature on Tuesday, are said to be confident they will get the green light from the player for the deal, but the former Leicester City star may yet prioritise an offer to stay from Chelsea, with a renewal coming close to being agreed back in March.
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Asked if he wanted to stay in west London, Kante said last month: "For sure. It's an exciting project for the club.
"Unfortunately this season hasn't been to Chelsea's standards. But everyone wants to go in this way, the way of success and winning titles.
"I hope this club will again fight in this direction. Let's see where I will be but I hope that this is a change for the club, that is most important."
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