N’Golo Kanté hoping to clarify future soon, pushing for Barcelona?

N’Golo Kanté’s lost season rumbles on quite lostly, with the 31-year-old midfielder not likely to return for a while yet, despite recently rejoining the team for warm-weather training in Abu Dhabi. Kanté underwent hamstring surgery in mid-October, and with an expected four-month rehab prognosis, isn’t expected to be back playing until the spring.

If and when he does reappear, it will be his first appearance since our second match of the season, back in late August.

But alongside the injury, which is just the latest and by far the worst in a series of increasingly significant injuries over the past two-three years, another growing concern is Kanté’s contract situation. His current deal expires at the end of the season, which means that he will be able to talk to other teams in January. And he undoubtedly plans to do some of that, with little if any chatter about a Chelsea extension.

In fact, if the rumor-mongers at Barcelona-based and Barcelona-biased Sport are to be believed — and that’s a pretty big if, in fairness — Kanté’s pushing for Barcelona to make an offer next month as he attempts to clarify his future. Barca’s interest in a free transfer is hardly surprising, and was mooted earlier this season already.

The report however doesn’t seem too confident in that happening, and adds that Kanté’s ready to explore other options such as Juventus if the Blaugrana continue to drag their feet. There is no mention of a possible Chelsea extension, which I suppose isn’t too surprising but it is quite a bit sad...