Why Chelsea should turn down swap deal involving Gareth Bale and N’Golo Kante

According to claims from Spanish outlet El Desmarque, Real Madrid are ready to adopt an innovative approach to try and tempt Chelsea into selling N’Golo Kante.

As per the report, the Los Blancos are prepared to offer a fee of £62million and include Gareth Bale as a part of a player-plus-cash part-exchange deal to bring the Frenchman to the Bernabeu next summer. 

Kante, who is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, has emerged as one of Real Madrid’s top targets under Zinedine Zidane, with the European heavyweights currently struggling for stability in the middle of the park. (h/t El Desmarque)

Meanwhile, Chelsea are currently under a two-window transfer embargo but they will surely look to do some significant business in the market as and when the ban is lifted. 

Defensive reinforcements continue to be a priority for Frank Lampard, with the team shipping far too many goals in the opening stages of the campaign, but the Blues are also likely to splash the cash on a statement signing to replace the talismanic Eden Hazard, who departed for Madrid in the summer. 

To that end, it isn’t surprising to see that Gareth Bale already has an offer on the table to complete a move to the Stamford Bridge next summer when Chelsea have their ban lifted but, with Madrid making an approach to include N’Golo Kante in the mix, the Blues might have to think twice before going ahead with their interest in the Welshman.(h/t El Desmarque)

To be honest, Madrid’s offer does look admittedly tempting for Chelsea, with the La Liga giants ready to pay a staggering £62 million and offer a stalwart like Bale, who would otherwise have cost more than £100 million in the market as the Welshman is still under contract at the Bernabeu until the summer of 2023. 

However, it is worth pointing out that Bale’s dip in form over the past twelve months has made him an unwanted figure at Real Madrid and Zidane’s willingness to offload him is quite well-documented. 

The 30-year-old boasts of an eye-watering tally of 104 goals and 67 assists in 238 appearances for the Los Blancos in all competitions but any follower to La Liga would acknowledge the fact that he is not quite the same player that he was in his youthful days. 

Of course, the Welshman is still right up there with the very best in the world and bringing his talent into question hardly makes any sense, but it has to be admitted that he is at a stage in his career where his powers are going to start declining soon.

That, coupled with his somewhat diminished returns over the past twelve months, has apparently prompted Madrid to start looking for a long-term replacement.

With that in mind, Chelsea should turn a complete blind eye to Madrid’s shrewd and creative approach and do everything in their power to keep hold of N’Golo Kante.

It is true that a fee of £62 million would be enough for the Blues to bring in a world-class replacement for the Frenchman, however, one cannot help but wonder whether there exists a second name on the planet who offers such a wide range of qualities on the pitchman as the World Cup winner. 

In other words, Chelsea would struggle to find a player who is proficient as Kante in all aspects of the game even if they splash millions of pounds in the market, as the 28-year-old is simply a talent that money can’t buy. 

Kante’s humility, commitment, determination and hunger, as well as his perfect blend of attributes in the middle of the park, make him arguably the best defensive midfielder on the planet

Furthermore, if the past twelve months are anything to go by, the Frenchman has added a lot of attacking instincts to his game as well, with former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri instrumental in making him a more dynamic asset to the team in the middle of the park.

At 28, Kante is still very much in the prime of his career and he is one player that the Blues can ill-afford to sale, given that he is their dynamo in the middle of the park and, of course, Lampard’s most trusted weapon when it comes to destroying the opposition in the midfield.

Undoubtedly, Chelsea will need to bring in a like-for-like replacement for Hazard, with Willian and Pedro also nearing the end of their days at Stamford Bridge. 

Christian Pulisic is yet to earn the trust of the manager while Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount, though extremely talented young players, are not world-class just yet and the Blues can hardly rely upon them to challenge for silverware.

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However, losing Kante for that matter would be a step in the backward direction and a massive blow to Lampard’s plans moving forward. That said, the Blues would only dig their own grave by succumbing to Real Madrid’s tempting offer.