Report: Manchester City lead Arsenal in the race to sign N’Golo Kante

N’Golo Kante has had an amazing season with Leicester City 

With the summer transfer window approaching, Manchester City now has a lead over Arsenal in their quest to sign N’Golo Kante from Leicester City after holding two rounds of talks with his representatives. The talented holding midfielder is said to favour Arsenal over Manchester City and seems more interested in moving to London.

Claudio Ranieri has continuously urged his new Premier League champions to stay at Leicester City next season. However, the Foxes seem to have lost the fight to retain Kante at the club. Even the prospect of playing Champions League football at the King Power Stadium might not be enough to keep him next season

According to the Express, the new Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is keen on signing the French International and Kante can still opt in favour of a move to tot the Emirates instead of the Etihad.

This comes as good news for the Gunners who had also met the 25-year-old’s representatives. However, it is unclear whether Kante is Arsenal’s primary target as they want the deal to be wrapped up before the Euro 2016 amongst speculation about the signing of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Granit Xhaka had also surfaced recently.

According to reports, Leicester City had told the Frenchman that he can leave only if they have a replacement lined up.  N'Golo Kante alongside Danny Drinkwater have been vital cogs to the efficient machinery that has been the Leicester City midfield. His performances have thus have helped the Frenchman getting a call up for Didie Deschamp’s EURO 2016 squad.

Leicester City had signed Kante from Caen last summer. After spending one season in the Premier League, the combative midfielder has captured the interest of a number of clubs after his significant role in Leicester City’s Premier League title win.

The 25-year-old was the first player to reach 100 interceptions this season in the Premier League. His contribution has also earned him a place in the PFA Team of the year alongside teammates Jamie Vardy and Ryad Mahrez. Kante had received praise from former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as well, who called him the league's best performer this season 'by a long way.'

Apart from Manchester City and Arsenal, teams like Chelsea and PSG have also shown interest in the player following his  breakthrough season. Paris Saint-Germain assistant sporting director Olivier Letang had met the midfielder’s representatives recently to find out their client's intentions but was told that the player wanted to stay in England.

There still remains a possibility that he might sign a new and improved contract with Leicester City though and continue his career at the King Power Stadium.