Chelsea’s new midfield dynamo, who was signed from defending Premier League champions Leicester City for a fee believed to be in the region of £30 million in July, has revealed that former Chelsea manager José Mourinho tried to lure him to his new club Manchester United this summer.
Kante, who is currently on international duty with France, was one of the star performers of the Leicester team last season and received interest from a number of different clubs for his signature after the Foxes won the Premier League title. He has revealed how he spoke to Mourinho after the season ended and discovered that the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ was keen to take him to Old Trafford.
Kante was delighted to be called by the former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Chelsea manager but was already talking to Chelsea and weighing up whether to move to Stamford Bridge or to remain at the King Power Stadium. He said, “It was amazing to have Mourinho call me, even though I’d been warned before how he would appeal to me. I listened to his arguments about why I should move to United. But at that time I was hesitant between staying at Leicester or leaving for Chelsea”.
The French midfielder said that a conversation with Chelsea’s new head coach Antonio Conte was enough to persuade him that a move to West London would be best for his career. He said, “
My discussions with them were already well underway. But when I spoke, I had a good feeling with Conte”.
So far it appears as though his decision has been justified. Chelsea have won all three of their opening fixtures and are joint-top of the Premier League alongside fellow cash-rich club Manchester City and Mourinho’s new charges at Manchester United. The Frenchman has played ninety minutes in all three of the Blues’ league games so far.