CHELSEA have agreed a fee with Leicester for the signing of N’Golo Kante, according to reports in France.
The midfielder has been linked with big-money moves to the likes of Real Madrid after a sensational 2015-16 season which saw him with a shock Premier League title with the Foxes and nominated for PFA Player of the Year.
New Stamford Bridge boss Antonio Conte immediately leapt in for talks with Kante amid reports Chinese club, Shanghai SIPG had bid higher than his release clause.
And Le Parisien report Chelsea have had a £29million — significantly higher than the £22m release clause — accepted.
Leicester had offered Kante a new £100,000-a-week deal in a bid to ward off potential suitors.
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But the Frenchman has turned it down and will sign a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were forced to go higher than Kante’s buy-out clause to compete with Shanghai SIPG’s offer.
The move will surely raise question marks over the future of Nemanja Matic, who has been heavily linked with a Jose Mourinho reunion at Manchester United.
Real Madrid had emerged as favourites to sign the 25-year-old with boss Zinedine Zidane identifying Kante’s role as the only position the European champions needed to strengthen this summer.
Claudio Ranieri signed the French midfielder from Caen last season for around £5.6m in what will be regarded as one of the biggest bargains in Premier League history.
He became an integral member of the Leicester side which caused one of the biggest upsets in football history by winning the title.
Kante was nominated for PFA Player of the Year and named in the Team of the Year.
He part of the France side which finish runners-up at Euro 2016 — losing 1-0 to Portugal in the final.
Chelsea boss, Conte, has arrived at Cobham for his first day of training with his new club.
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