PSG making ‘positive progress’ on N’Golo Kante despite FFP concerns — report

Paris United (not a team) have been pushing the Kante-to-PSG story for much of the season, and they are back with another one of their exclusives. Unfortunately, until they are proven wrong, we have to pay attention. Fortunately, nothing that Kante has said in public so far has even a faint whiff of any concern we should have, and reports from sources closer to the club claim that he’s very much staying.

In football you never know of course, which is the adage that fuels many a sensational rumor and Chelsea selling Kante would certainly count as one. If there is an irreplaceable player in the squad, it’s the 27-year-old midfielder who’s so good, he plays as if there were two of him.

The man central to this rumor is PSG sporting director Antero Henrique, who’s apparently been globetrotting over the past week or so, flying to Doha to talk with the real power behind the club and a couple superagents, flying to Paris to oversee contract talks, and flying to London to meet with Kente’s representatives. The latter is said to “progressing positively” and now Henrique “will start negotiations” with Chelsea. If those negotiations consist of anything other than firmly shutting the door in his face, we riot.

There are no guesses about a potential transfer fee at this point, but PSG do have to shed a few players first to meet FFP regulations. That they are only €60m in the hole is laughable of course, and the day we see UEFA come down hard on them for financial shenanigans is the day we realize that we’re all just hosts in Westworld and this isn’t the real world, but they have until the end of the month to add to their bottom line before even thinking about spending large on new players.

These may be uncertain times at Chelsea, but surely, the one thing we can count on is that we won’t be stupid enough to sell Kante, regardless of how much may be offered. (And if he wants to leave, which would be a surprise, we need to do everything in our power to convince him otherwise.)