Chelsea could look to sell N'Golo Kante this summer - amid interest from Real Madrid - as the former Premier League winners look to balance their books ahead of a number of expensive incomings.
The Blues have been very active in the transfer market - in the grand scheme of things - recently, adding to the €40m capture of Ajax star Hakim Ziyech with the imminent €60m signing of RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.
Chelsea have also turned their attention towards Bayer Leverkusen starlet Kai Havertz, with a £75m bid being considered by the west London outfit.
And despite Roman Abramovich's pockets appearing to be extremely deep, it appears that several players will need to be sacrificed to balance out those big-money deals.
According to AS, Frank Lampard's side will be forced to sell some of those currently playing at Stamford Bridge, with their new transfer policy described to be 'one in, one out'.
Consequently, Kanté could be the man moving out of London, with a bid of €70m said to be enough to land his services. And that figure could pave the way for Los Blancos to make a move for the Frenchman, with the Spanish media outlet suggesting that he has long been a target for Real officials as they seek additional support for Casemiro in midfield.
The Blues would certainly not be in any rush to part ways with the midfielder, given that he is contracted until 2023. Yet his wages do take a large chunk of Chelsea's wage bill, with Kante earning around £7.8m a year.
Given that Chelsea have yet to confirm their qualification for the Champions League, it is claimed by the newspaper that missing out on qualifying for the competition could have a severe financial impact on the Premier League side - making them more willing to listen to offers for the 29-year-old.
However, the report concludes that Real would need to beat the likes of Barcelona, PSG and Juventus in order to sign Kanté - which could indicate an imminent bidding war this summer, should be allowed to go.
Source : 90min