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Chelsea’s arrogance may cost them N’Golo Kante

By Rucker Haringey

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 10: Ngolo Kante of France in action during the UEFA Euro 2016 Group A opening match between France and Romania at Stade de France on June 10, 2016 in Saint-Denis near Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 10: Ngolo Kante of France in action during the UEFA Euro 2016 Group A opening match between France and Romania at Stade de France on June 10, 2016 in Saint-Denis near Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea are entirely too confident that they’ll be able to sign Leicester City star N’Golo Kante this summer

Chelsea and the majority of the English press seem to be utterly convinced that N’Golo Kante will call Stamford Bridge home next season. The club’s arrogance in regards to the Frenchman’s transfer may ultimately cost them his services.

The Mirror reports that officials at Chelsea believe they are “in control” of the race for Kante’s signature. Officials at the Premier League club expect negotiations to drag on, but are confident that ultimately they will win out.

While I do believe that Chelsea are an attractive destination for Kante, I can’t understand why they feel winning the race for his services is a foregone conclusion. It’s not as if Antonio Conte’s club is competing with the likes of Hull and Burnley to acquire Kante. Their principle competition in the race comes from elite clubs all over Europe.

Most notably, both PSG and Real Madrid are believed to have strong interest in the dynamic midfielder. Moving to the French capital would provide Kante a return to his native country, and selecting Real Madrid would give him a real shot to win a Champions League title next season. Chelsea aren’t in a position to offer Kante either of those things right away.

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Perhaps more disconcerting is the fact that Conte has chosen to pursue several other high-profile midfield targets while slow playing his chase for Kante. The Italian manager has been almost obsessed with bringing Radja Nainggolan to the club and has reportedly sanctioned multiple bids for the Belgian midfielder.

Kante is a far superior player to Nainggolan by any objective measure. He proved last season that he can be one of the absolute best midfielders in the Premier League. He’s also several years younger than Nainggolan. There’s no rational explanation for Chelsea focusing on the Roma man over the Foxes’ star.

The relative inattention that Chelsea have paid in the race to sign Kante will undoubtedly cause the player to question their interest. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where he might decide to return home to PSG, or make a big-money move to Real Madrid instead. After all, both of those clubs still have the ability to show Kante that he’s their primary midfield target. Chelsea have already shown their affinity for Nainggolan.

Related Story: Chelsea's third bid for Nainggolan rejected

N’Golo Kante may very well end up at Chelsea next season, but the Blues are playing a dangerous game by taking him for granted. Their arrogance may very well allow another big club to swoop in and steal the star midfielder right under their noses.

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