Chelsea legend offered to Barcelona in recent weeks – Romero

As Barcelona ramp up their pursuit of a new defensive midfielder to replace captain Sergio Busquets, the name of Chelsea and France icon N’Golo Kante is back on the radars of the club, reports Gerard Romero.

With Barça understood to be weighing up as many as six possible options to replace their exit-bound skipper, Kante is understood to be one of the names on the table at Ciutat de Esportiva.

In fact, Romero states that Kante’s agents have offered him to the Blaugrana in recent weeks, after Busquets announced his departure from the club.

The diminutive French midfielder has been linked with a move to Barça in the past as well with director Mateu Alemany understood to be advocating for his signing.

However, talks about a move for Kante had gone quiet as it was reported in England that the 32-year-old legend was considering signing a new contract with Chelsea, with his current one expiring at the end of the ongoing campaign.

But there has been no development on that front in recent weeks though, with the veteran superstar succumbing to yet another injury recently.

As such, an exit remains a possibility, although the former Leicester City ace hinted in a recent interview that he might lean towards a renewal.

When asked if he wanted to continue at Chelsea, Kante told Sky Sports: “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.”

“Let’s see where I will be but I hope that this is a change for the club, that is most important.”

Apart from Kante, Barcelona are also looking at Martin Zubimendi, Guido Rodriguez, Ruben Neves, Sofyan Amrabat, and Belgian teenager Arthur Vermeeren.

Given Kante’s potential availability for free and his quality and experience, he can be a good short-term addition at Barcelona. However, his injury issues are a cause of concern, while a renewal with Chelsea also remains a big possibility.