Chelsea may have condemned duo with ‘deal close’ and Bellingham plan

Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing a new deal with N’Golo Kante and are also said to have a plan in place to sign fellow midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund at the end of the campaign. And those developments could mean the Blues have condemned Conor Gallagher and Mateo Kovacic to their Stamford Bridge exits.

Chelsea were taken over by the mega-rich Todd Boehly at the end of last May and have since shelled out record amounts of cash to sign a whole host of stars. The west London giants don’t appear to be willing to halt their aggressive pursuit of new players, however, and a move for Bellingham could be on the cards if they can beat the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid to the 19-year-old’s signature.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been in discussions with the soon-to-be out-of-contract Kante about extending his time in the capital and are confident a deal is close to being agreed according to The Telegraph. Kante, who joined the Blues from Leicester in 2016, has been out of action since August after undergoing a hamstring operation, but is nearing a return and could feature next month.

Bellingham would be a key player for Chelsea if he were to sign for the club and would likely line up alongside January arrival Enzo Fernandez at the heart of the team’s midfield. Kante would struggle to hold down a regular starting place with those two ahead of him in the pecking order but would give Graham Potter’s side an experienced option on the bench. And that means Gallagher and Kovacic’s days at the club could be numbered.

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Kovacic, meanwhile, joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 following a year on loan at Stamford Bridge. But he, too, has seen his appearances limited under Potter and has started only eight top-flight matches this campaign.

The 28-year-old helped the Blues win the Champions League in 2021 and the Club World Cup in 2022 and has played over 200 games for his current employers. But he would be unlikely to see his gametime increase with Kante fit and Bellingham in the team. And with his current deal running out next summer, the Croatia international is another prime candidate to face the Chelsea chop.