Could Kante-Kovacic battle convince Chelsea to cash in on the Frenchman?

This summer has been a dream for Chelsea fans. Playing catch up after two transfer windows without investment, save for a pre-agreed deal for Mateo Kovacic, the Blues have been splashing the cash to improve. Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner strengthen the frontline, while Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Ben Chilwell bolster the back. A new goalkeeper is expected imminently, too, but now comes the task of balancing the books. 

While a lack of spending over two windows means the Blues had cash to burn in the transfer market this summer, they have still spent close to £200m on new faces and they'll aim to recoup some of that money used to improve. At present, the most sellable asset comes in the form of N'Golo Kante. 

Chelsea have slapped an £80m price tag on the France international, who gave another example of his quality in Les Bleus' recent 1-0 win over Sweden. Inter are keen on the midfielder, with head coach Antonio Conte looking to link up with Kante once more. The Italian brought the 29-year-old to Stamford Bridge in 2016, with Kante playing a vital role in Chelsea's 2016/17 title win. 

However, in the wake of Conte's departure in 2018, Kante's midfield role changed. Maurizio Sarri brought in a 4-3-3 system with Jorginho as the central midfielder in the midfield three, with Kante tasked with charging forward to help support the offensive. Frank Lampard implemented a similar setup where the former Leicester man would be required to push on, but his impact has lessened in the last two seasons. 

Injuries have played their part, but with the Foxes and under Conte, Kante broke up play with aplomb and was considered the best in his position in the world football. That reputation has taken a hit in the years since Conte departed Chelsea. His WhoScored rating has dropped from 7.24 to 6.92, so too have tackles per 90 (3.5 to 2.2) and interceptions per 90 (2.4 to 1.6). 

The defensive stats were going to drop as Sarri and Lampard tinkered with the way Kante played, but this issue now is whether there are better players in the squad to carry out the duties now required by the 2018 World Cup winner. In the same summer Sarri moved to west London, so too did Mateo Kovacic. The Croat's move was made permanent last summer and he was named Chelsea Player of the Year for the 2019/20 campaign. 

Of the 82 players to attempt 50 or more dribbles, Kovacic had a better dribble success rate (85.6%) than any other player in the Premier League last season as the 26-year-old routinely looked to ghost through midfield to help open up opposition defenders. Kovacic will look to do so again tonight when Croatia take on France in the UEFA Nations League, where the former Real Madrid man comes up up against Kante. For 90 minutes, club teammates become international foes. 

After a fairly sub-par debut season in England, Kovacic's progression to key man under Lampard has seen him become one of the first names on the teamsheet and a fan favourite to boot. That development into midfield lynchpin for the west London giants may also have an impact on Kante's future at Stamford Bridge. 

In a specific task of a central midfielder to glide upfield with the ball, Kovacic is a better candidate than Kante for Chelsea. Factor in the big money investment in the final third, and it may be that Lampard sacrifices a central midfielder to accomodate another attacker and switches from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, in which case, at £80m, or even lower, it would be wise to raise funds at the expense of Kante. 

What may make even more sense yet is to see Marcelo Brozovic included in any deal for Kante. The Croatian has been linked with a Premier League switch, with reports suggesting Inter have proposed an offer that would see Brozovic and Kante swap places. If this is the case, then it's a deal that Chelsea can ill-afford to turn down.  

Brozovic is an upgrade on Jorginho and, if Chelsea can do a deal with Inter that would see Kante move to Milan and the Croatia international come to London, then Lampard would have a readymade midfield partnership in a 4-2-3-1 setup that would provide adequate protection for the defence and drive from deep to push the Blues forward. 

Kante turns 30 in March and time is running out if Chelsea are to make a profit on the midfielder. His contract runs until 2023, so the Blues are not under pressure to sell Kante, but it may be that Chelsea improve in selling the Frenchman to bring in Brozovic in a transfer that would suit all parties. 

Either way, a midfield battle of Kante and Kovacic provides an interesting sub-plot to France's UEFA Nations League clash with Croatia and one that may convince Chelsea to ultimately cash in on the ball winner in order to shape the squad to better suit Lampard's managerial demands.