Could Real Madrid actually sign N’Golo Kante as a midfield upgrade?

Real Madrid clearly want to purchase at least one star central midfielder next summer, and if Chelsea somehow were to make N’Golo Kante available in 2020, then Los Blancos would reportedly be the first to know.

Although Real Madrid did not purchase a superstar central midfielder this summer, they did everything they could to pursue Paul Pogba, who was clearly Zinedine Zidane’s dream signing for the campaign. But Manchester United were under no real pressure to sell Pogba this summer, so they wisely chose not to part ways with easily their best player.

Pogba could be on his way to Real next summer, but that’s far from a guarantee. United continue to ask for 200 million euros from Real for the French star, and they are also trying to convince the player to sign a new contract that would effectively negate Real’s interest.

As of right now, there are three young backup plans for Pogba. Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz, Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes, and Ajax’s Donny van de Beek. All three players can become world-class after sensational 2018-2019 campaigns, but all three will have significant interest from top clubs like United and Barcelona next summer.

Real could also choose to sign Christian Eriksen, who is on an expiring contract that he has yet to successfully negotiate with Tottenham. He could easily be purchased in winter if Real were desperate enough.

But they don’t need to be desperate with so many options. More importantly, Real need to focus on signing a well-rounded center midfielder who can defend. They have one world-class defensive midfielder in Casemiro, but they need someone more well-rounded.

N’Golo Kante could be that player. In an interesting report, DefensaCentral.com relay that Chelsea and Real have something of a handshake agreement regarding Kante. Although the superstar midfielder is currently not for sale, if he were to be listed next summer, Real would reportedly be the first to know. On top of that, if Chelsea were to receive a tangible offer from another club, Real would also be notified.

While Kante is 28 and doesn’t fit the bill as an up-and-coming replacement for veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, he, like Pogba or even Eriksen, is a world-class midfielder who is too good to pass up on. And unlike Eriksen, he can actually play defense, even if he doesn’t quite offer the same key passing. Real, though, already have Eden Hazard, James Rodriguez, and Dani Ceballos as chance creators, so someone with Kante’s off-ball intelligence and defending would be better. Plus, he is no slouch offensively, even if he doesn’t carry the same goal-scoring threat as Pogba or Eriksen.

This is an interesting situation to monitor, and the ostensible friendliness between Chelsea and Real may stem from their interactions over the Hazard deal, which was done quickly for such a blockbuster signing. Real have reportedly shown previous interest in Kante – and why not, he’s incredible – without ever pressuring Chelsea to sell one of their two most valuable players, so a deal could get done if Chelsea were of the mind that they needed to sell him while he is still in his prime.

Real Madrid have so many midfield options, and while Pogba seems to be the No. 1 choice with van de Beek looking like their ideal Plan B, the possibility of a Kante deal is now in the back of everyone’s mind.

Fitting in Kante and Casemiro would be difficult and Kante isn’t young enough to be a truly ideal signing, but, again, this is Kante we’re talking about. Real would find a way to make it work. Kante’s intelligence, leadership, work ethic, humility, and underrated offensive skills would make him a perfect missing piece.

Of course, none of this matters if Chelsea decide not to sell Kante, which, in all honesty, would be their best outcome. But when it comes to football transfers, never say never.

Like, just imagine Hazard and Kante on the same team again, except with Los Blancos in the Bernabeu. Crazy, right?