"It can work" - Frank Leboeuf backs Chelsea to sign the perfect N'Golo Kante replacement

Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf believes Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo would be the perfect replacement for N'Golo Kante.

The Blues are set to make a massive squad overhaul that includes multiple outgoings and incoming in the midfield department ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's arrival.

Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic comprised the main midfield starters for the west London outfit in recent years. The Italian secured a move to Arsenal in the January transfer window. Meanwhile, Kante is set to join Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ittihad and Kovacic is inching closer to a move to Manchester City.

Chelsea have decided to submit official proposal for Moisés Caicedo next week. Direct talks will take place with Brighton in order to get it done. 🚨🔵 #CFC

The agreement on personal terms is at very advanced stages since yesterday, almost done. twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/hFE929HdhD

Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move to Caicedo, a player Leboeuf believes would form a perfect partnership with Enzo Fernandez. The Frenchman wrote in his column for Si & Dan Talk Chelsea:

“I think Moises Caicedo from Brighton can be a perfect partner for Enzo Fernandez. Knowing that N’Golo Kante is going, Mateo Kovacic is going, Jorginho left, you need people for that position. I think Caicedo and Enzo is a good match, but we will also need more in that role coming in in case of injuries and suspensions."

He added:

“These two are terrific players, but they will need to find a way to combine their skills together to make sure it works and they gel. Enzo is very good at doing the kind of Kovacic task. Caicedo is the type of player who can substitute Kante, so it can work, absolutely.”

Fabrizio Romano reports that Chelsea are almost done agreeing on personal terms with Caicedo, while an official bid is expected to be submitted sometime in the next week.

Manchester City 'on the brink' of signing Chelsea star - Reports

Manchester City are very close to sealing a transfer for Kovacic, according to ESPN. The English champions have reportedly agreed personal terms with the Croatian midfielder.

The outlet claims that the Cityzens have reached a rough agreement on the transfer fee with the west London outfit as they sort out details regarding the payment structure. Kovacic's move to Manchester City is expected to be completed after he finishes his international duty obligations.

Manchester City now closing in on signing Mateo Kovacic, who has already agreed personal terms.

Optimism on all sides with a fee of over £30m. Talks centered on structure of the deal now. Expectation is a full agreement will be in place soon.🔵 https://t.co/0ZpBwUXndr

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has corroborated these reports, stating that the deal is expected to be done very soon. The Italian also revealed that personal terms were agreed around ten days ago.

Kovacic registered 27 Premier League appearances for Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring one goal and providing two assists.