N’Golo Kante could be on his way back to the Premier League with West Ham in talks to sign the France star.
Kante, 33, left Chelsea for Al-Ittihad last summer but was one of France’s most impressive players at Euro 2024 after a late recall by manager Didier Deschamps.
West Ham now want to bring him back to London and there is a willingness on both sides to get the deal done, according to the Guardian.
The tireless midfielder, who won the Premier League with both Leicester and Chelsea, is not said to be unhappy at his current club but is open to returning to the English captain.
A fee of £20m is likely to get the deal done, with his performances in Germany proof Kante can still perform at the highest level.
#Exclusive West Ham in talks to bring N’Golo Kante back to the Premier League https://t.co/SAfoyoQBLc
— Will Unwin (@Will_Unwin) July 18, 2024
The Hammers, now managed by Julen Lopetegui, are keen for a defensive midfielder after Kalvin Phillips returned to Manchester City following an underwhelming loan spell last term.
Lopetegui is thought to be a long-term admirer of 2018 World Cup winner Kante and was keen to sign him while he was previously in charge of Real Madrid.
After playing a key role in Leicester’s fairytale Premier League win in his first season in English football in 2015-16, Kante went on to spend seven years at Chelsea after a £32m move.
There, he won the Premier League again as well as the Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League as well as the World Cup with France.
The 61-cap international would be the Irons’ fourth summer addition after Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham.
