French professional footballer, N’Golo Kante, has rejected Chelsea’s new contract proposal, with the Frenchman unhappy at the length of the deal on offer.
The Frenchman is out of contract in less than a year’s time, having failed to agree on new terms with the Blues.
Thomas Tuchel spoke openly about the situation with Kante before his departure and suggested that the Frenchman has to compromise over any contract extension because of his injury problems.
Kante has been sidelined regularly over the last two years but he remains the club’s highest-paid player.
The former Leicester City star wants to stay at Stamford Bridge but the club are only offering him an initial two-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.
The Blues gave Kalidou Koulibaly a four-year deal last month, despite the fact that he is the same age as Kante.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also given a three-year deal, despite being two years older than Kante.
The Athletic, therefore, claimed Kante has rejected the club’s proposal and he is holding out for a longer deal.
It comes as two Premier League sides show interest in Kante, with the midfielder free to speak to other clubs from January 1st.
Kante can sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs on January 1st, though English sides would have to wait.
He plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the France national team.
Considered by many to be one of the world’s best midfielders, Kanté is widely praised for his work rate and defensive acumen.
Kanté made his senior professional debut with Boulogne in 2012, appearing as a substitute in one Ligue 2 match, and played an entire season in the third division the following year.
After that, he joined Ligue 2 side Caen on a free transfer, finished third and won promotion to Ligue 1.
He stayed with the club for one more year. In 2015, Kanté joined Leicester City for a fee worth £5.6 million.
Kanté was an integral part of the Leicester City team that went on to become surprise Premier League champions in 2016.
The following year, he joined Chelsea for a fee worth £32 million and again won the league, making him the first outfield player to win consecutive English league titles with different clubs since Eric Cantona in 1992 and 1993.
With Chelsea he has won the FA Cup, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup.
Individually, Kante has been awarded the Premier League Player of the Season, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, the UEFA Men’s Midfielder of the year and the Trophées UNFP for Best French Player Abroad twice.
Kanté made his senior international debut for France in 2016 and was included in the squad that finished runners-up at the 2016 European Championship.
In 2017 Kanté was named the French Player of the Year, a first for a player from the Premier League in seven years, and twelve months later was a key member of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning squad.