Kante right to reject Messi and Neymar circus in January transfer window

James Shearman

• Updated: 30 Mar 2022 13:43 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea's N'Golo Kante rejected Lionel Messi and Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, and for good reason.

Kante has long been subject to interest from PSG, dating back to his decision to leave Leicester after winning the Premier League title in 2016.

And, as recently as January, the Ligue 1 leaders were in for the midfielder once again.

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According to Le Parisien, the French outfit were determined to convince Kante to join them in the last days of the window.

But, the 31-year-old opted to remain in west London, where he is nearing legendary status at the club.

Since then, PSG have been knockout out of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, while Chelsea cruised past Lille and into the last 16.

Kante right to reject PSG again

N'Golo Kante's contract at Chelsea is up in little over a year, offering hope to the likes of PSG that he may become available.

And this was the reason for the Parisian club's late swoop in the January transfer window.

As things stand, however, Kante is happy in London, where he helped the Blues to a Champions League trophy last campaign.

''I chose Chelsea because I like the Premier League and their style of play and when I spoke with the coach (Antonio Conte) I decided to go there and I don't regret my choice,'' he said.

The club are in a great place, under manager Thomas Tuchel, and the Frenchman is in the perfect situation to succeed heading into the latter years of his career.

The ability to rotate with the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and Mason Mount mean that he is not too heavily relied upon, and can take time to recover from the number of small injuries he sustains.

Whereas, at PSG, he would become too crucial a member of the team, as having someone with the energy to compensate for the low work rates of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe is exactly what they need.

The pressure that would come with supporting the trio would be intense, and if Kante's personality is anything to go by, he much prefers to go under the radar.