Real Madrid have been linked to Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante for about a month now, but could they use a reportedly disgruntled forward to help sign one of their top 2020 targets?
Guillem Balague of AS recently reported that Gareth Bale is upset with Real Madrid after manager Zinedine Zidane left him out of the starting lineup in the club’s Champions League fixture with Club Brugge, and this incident boiled over the tension to the point where Bale would like to leave next summer.
Bale, of course, was strongly linked to a move out of Madrid in 2019, but he was able to stay in the Spanish capital. He has played well since, showing that he can still be an important part of Los Blancos’ attack.
Yet it seems like the Wales international could be playing elsewhere in 2020. If that’s the case, clubs like Bayern Munich and Manchester United could once again be linked with the veteran winger, who has recovered the value he lost after a poor 2018-2019 campaign.
El Desmarque’s Xavi Perez reports that an unlikely team seems to have interest in Bale, as the paper claims that Chelsea have offered 60 million euros to Real for Bale.
It would be a shock if Chelsea wanted a 30-year-old winger when they are already struggling to give Christian Pulisic playing time after purchasing him last winter for a hefty fee, though perhaps they could see an opening if Willian finally makes a move to Barcelona. (And I’d also consider that move unlikely, given the attacking talent that La Blaugrana possess.)
Furthermore, El Desmarque report that Real are prepared to offer 70 million euros plus Bale in exchange for N’Golo Kante. While Kante is only a couple of years younger than Bale, he is the better all-around player and is arguably the best box-to-box midfielder in world football. Kante has been linked to Real over the past several weeks and could be a dream signing for Los Blancos, especially if Zidane cannot get Paul Pogba from Manchester United.
Paying 70 million euros and adding a quality player in Bale is a hefty price for Kante, as Real could spend less in total value for Donny van de Beek or Bruno Fernandes in midfield. While those players aren’t as good as Kante nor do they play the same role, they are quality pieces who are a handful of years younger than the Chelsea star.
And all of this isn’t even factoring in two things. One, Bale isn’t really a fit for Chelsea. And two, why would Chelsea sell Kante unless they absolutely had to? It’s not like he’s asking to leave the club, where he’s become their undisputed top star.
Consider this move extremely unlikely. I highly doubt Chelsea would be willing to pay 60 million euros for Bale, which is highway robbery for Real. And if that were the case, why would Real offer 70 million euros on top of Bale for Kante? As good as Kante is, spending essentially 130 million euros in total value, which is the premise of this report, would be irresponsible on Madrid’s part. After all, they may have found a solid box-to-box midfielder in Fede Valverde.
Real’s interest in Kante will continue to change as the season develops, whereas they’d be extremely lucky to find anyone willing to pay top dollar for Bale. He is still world class, but he’s also on high wages and not getting any younger.
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