Reports: Juventus target Chelsea star in a 3-player swap deal
What's the rumour?
Juventus are targeting N'Golo Kante as a replacement for wantaway Bosnian midfielder, Miralem Pjanic. The Italian giants, who have already landed Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer's biggest transfer, are willing to offer Chelsea both Miralem Pjanic and Daniele Rugani for the €80 million-rated World Cup winner according to the Express.
In case you didn't know...
Chelsea has already been heavily linked with a move for Pjanic throughout the summer window, with new boss Maurizio Sarri eager to shop in Serie A and bring players he is familiar with to Stamford Bridge. However, Pjanic has told Juventus his preferred destination is either Manchester City or Barcelona.
The Blues are also very keen on defender Daniele Rugani and have made inquiries about the Italian's availability with some reports claiming a five-year contract worth €87,000 per-week has already been agreed with the player and the West London club are simply waiting to agree with Juventus over the transfer fee. Maurizio Sarri has tried to sign Rugani multiple times before while manager of Napoli.
With Juventus keen to add another big name signing to their squad following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, they have made N'Golo Kante their number one target and will use Chelsea's interest in their players as a negotiating tactic to land their man.
The heart of the matter
Maurizio Sarri is extremely keen on bringing multiple new faces to Stamford Bridge and has already been shopping in Serie A this summer. His interest in both Pjanic and Rugani is well documented and Juventus are bound to make life difficult for the new Chelsea boss if Kante doesn't become part of the discussions.
With Juventus desperate to build a squad capable of challenging for the Champions League in this coming season, N'Golo Kante would represent a massive coup for the Italian champions. Should Kante become available on the market, it is likely that Juventus will face competition from both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
Rumour Probability: 6/10
While it would be no surprise to see one of these transfers happen, a 3-player swap deal is practically unheard of at the highest levels of football. However, if Sarri is desperate to bring Pjanic and Rugani to London, the Old Lady may leave the Chelsea boss with no other options than to include Kante in the deal.
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What's Next?
Chelsea is preparing to offer Kante a new contract worth a stunning €225 million per-week in a bid to tie down the midfielder and ward off any unwanted interest. Should Kante reject this contract offer, the likelihood of a move away from Stamford Bridge would increase severalfold and Juventus may hold the upper hand at the negotiating table.
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