Two Leicester City players will be pursued with unrelenting vigour this summer: Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante.
The Premier League winners will be keen to tie the Algeria and France internationals up to new and improved deals and have the added cherry of Champions League football in 2016/17.
However, Europe’s top clubs will have noted their performances closely. If both players’ agents have not yet been contacted by multiple agents, clubs and go-betweens, they need to pay their phone bills.
A fortnight back, we brought you the story of the relatively cheap release clause in Kante’s contract.
This morning, that figure has been confirmed by French newspaper Le Parisien after some extensive research. The 25-year-old is free to leave Leicester if a suitor offers £20 million [€25.3m].
He is contracted up to 2018/19 but free to discuss moves with other clubs once a firm commitment is made to pay that release fee. Paris Saint Germain have reportedly been in touch with Kante’s agent twice, so far, this season.
Kante is also on £32,000 [€40,000] a week so clubs interested in securing his services may be able to tempt him by doubling that.
Leicester fans can start dreaming. Or planning https://t.co/64L59kMIRi
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 3, 2016
Last month, Kante told reporters, “At this moment I am focused on Leicester. We have to finish well this season but I don’t mind about [being linked to] the other clubs.”
Perhaps the greatest challenge of Claudio Ranieri’s will not be winning the Premier League. It could be keeping the league winners he wants at the King Power Stadium.
