Transfer Centre

Arsenal 'made N'Golo Kante enquiry in January'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 13 April 2023

Arsenal enquired about a move for Chelsea's N'Golo Kante in January before taking Jorginho off of the Blues' hands, according to a report.

Arsenal reportedly enquired about taking N'Golo Kante from Chelsea during the January transfer window before signing Jorginho on deadline day.

Both Jorginho and Kante entered the final six months of their Stamford Bridge deals at the turn of the year, and the former was allowed to make the switch across the capital to Arsenal in the final hours of the window.

The Gunners paid just £12m to prise Jorginho away from Chelsea before he walked away as a free agent in the summer, but that is a path that Kante could still walk down.

The France international - who has spent most of the season on the sidelines with a serious hamstring injury - is out of contract in June and has been free to discuss pre-contract terms with foreign clubs since January.

Paris Saint-Germain have been strongly linked with a move for the 31-year-old should he seek out an alternative career path, but Arsenal were also credited with an interest several months ago.

N'Golo Kante in action for Chelsea on August 14, 2022 © Reuters

The Premier League leaders apparently stepped up their interest in Kante during the winter, as an anonymous source told Le Parisien that Arsenal made contact in January, but the midfielder is now ready to commit his future to the Blues before potentially retiring in the Middle East.

As quoted by The Mirror, the source said: "N'Golo would like to continue his career in London, where he has his habits. He liked working with Antonio Conte, but he has been sacked by Tottenham.

"Arsenal also made an enquiry... I think he will extend his deal at Chelsea before going to the Middle-East in two or three years."

Chelsea initially struggled to make progress in negotiations with Kante, who is said to have been after a firm three year-deal, while the Blues were only offering him two years with the option of an additional 12 months.

However, there has since been a breakthrough in talks, and Kante is expected to put pen to paper on a new deal in the coming weeks, even though PSG are still keeping a close eye on developments.

Chelsea's N'Golo Kante in action with Liverpool's Curtis Jones on April 4, 2023 © Reuters

Kante has amassed 13 goals and 15 assists from 265 games for the Blues since leaving Leicester in 2016, winning the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in that time.

The France international has been restricted to just five appearances in the current campaign, though, including 75 minutes in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat to Real Madrid.

Despite Jorginho's positive impact since joining in January, Arsenal will be in the market for at least one new midfielder this summer, as all of Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey will be in their 30s before the start of next season.

West Ham United's Declan Rice is believed to be the Gunners' number one target, as the Hammers are resigned to losing their captain this summer after he rejected several offers of a new contract.

Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch and Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are also admired by the Gunners' hierarchy, but a move for Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo is seemingly off the cards after their failed January approaches.