Five midfielders who could replace Kante at Chelsea

Stuart Telford

• 8 Jun 2023 10:13 BST
• 4 min read

N'Golo Kante is set to leave Chelsea for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Who might the Blues go shopping for to replace the World Cup-winning Frenchman?

Kante has starred for Chelsea since arriving as a Premier League winner with Leicester in 2016, adding another league title the following year as well as the Champions League in 2021.

But after 269 appearances in all competitions - a significant number given his faltering injury record - Kante has decided to all it a day, and will now join up with Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad.

READ: Chelsea star 'blown away' by HUGE contract offer

Chelsea are also likely to lose Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount this summer, with the futures of Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek also uncertain, making the need for a new central midfielder to play alongside Enzo Fernandez pronounced.

FootballTransfers looks at five midfielders who could replace Kante…

Youri Tielemans

According to FootballTransfers' official partner SciSports, Leicester's Youri Tielemans has at least an 80 per cent similarity to Kante in terms of pressing and recoveries, and he is also available on a free - something that will suit Chelsea given the shadow of UEFA's Financial Fair Play laws.

Out of contract with a relegated team, there is next to no chance that Tielemans will be playing his football at the King Power Stadium next season, and Chelsea should make sure it is they who win the race for his signature ahead of Arsenal or Barcelona.

READ: Tielemans, Firmino & five Premier League stars leaving on a Free Transfer

Adrien Rabiot

Stylistically less of a match than Tielemans, there is nonetheless currency in bringing Kante's France teammate Adrien Rabiot to Stamford Bridge. The left-footed midfielder has been one of the few success stories at Juventus this season, and is also available on a free transfer.

Negotiations between Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and Rabiot's mother and agent Veronique would be a sight to behold in their own right, but the former PSG player could bring some welcome balance to the side out on ther field of play.

Moises Caicedo

Another in-demand midfielder this summer, Moises Caicedo has continued to flirt publicly with Arsenal after trying to force a move to the Gunners in January, and Mikel Arteta still sees him as a viable replacement for the Bayer Leverkusen-bound Granit Xhaka.

Brighton agreed with Caicedo that they would let him leave this summer if a bid in the region of £100 million arrived, but the Blues could drive down that price by offering Levi Colwill on loan for another season, if not two.

Declan Rice

Declan Rice is another player who looks Arsenal-bound, although former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has made little secret of his admiration for the West Ham captain with his new employers, Bayern Munich.

Rice led West Ham to Europa Conference League glory on Wednesday, but the fact remains that a player who is one of the first names on Gareth Southgate's England teamsheet was embroiled in a relegation dogfight this season, and a return to his former academy club might appeal.

Tyler Adams

Last but by no means least is Tyler Adams, who was arguably the USMNT's best player at the World Cup in Qatar last winter, and was one of the minority of Leeds players who went down this season with their reputation intact.

Adams, like Tielemans, boasts an 80 per cent stylistic similarity with Kante, and could be available for less than the €38.9m (£33.5m) he is valued at by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm with the Yorkshire club facing a season, if not more, in the Championship.