Chelsea star Kante admits discussions with European rival

N’Golo Kante has revealed there were talks with Paris Saint-Germain in the summer before opting to stay at Chelsea.

The Chelsea star regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and played an important part in France’s World Cup-winning campaign in the summer.

PSG have been heavily linked with a move for the 27-year-old since the start of last season and want to prise the Parisian-Born midfielder home.

Chelsea have been looking to secure Kante’s long-term future for some time now and have been given a boost after Kante turned down PSG’s advances in the summer.

“There was no particular desire to go somewhere after the World Cup,” he told RMC Sport. “There was interest from other clubs, but things were clear after speaking with Chelsea - the club is counting on me and I feel good.

“The next logical step was to continue with Chelsea. There was some contact with PSG, yes. However, after a discussion with Chelsea, I realised that the main thing for me was to feel good where I was then and am now. “I am with Chelsea - staying with Chelsea is good for me."

After earning a reputation as a destructive defensive midfielder during his first three seasons in England, new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has given the Frenchman a new role in the team this term.

Kante now has a greater responsibility to break forward after being moved to one of the wide central midfield positions to accommodate summer signing Jorginho.

As a result, tackles per league game and interceptions per league game have gone down from 3.3 and 2.5 last season to 2.4 and 1.0, respectively, this time around.