Claudio Ranieri tells Chelsea target N'Golo Kante: Hurry up and decide your future

N'GOLO KANTE has been ordered to make up his mind over his future.

By Steve Madeley & Paul Brown       

 HURRY UP: Claudio Ranieri wants a swift conclusion to the N'Golo Kante transfer saga

Chelsea are favourites to land the Leicester midfielder for around £30m.

But Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri has told him to hurry up and decide where he wants to be playing next season.

Ranieri said: “We offered a new contract to him, he went away because he wanted to finish Euro 2016, and now there is so much speculation around him.

“I don’t want to lose him but I can understand if he wants to go.

“I would like know to be sure who stays with me or not, because the friendly matches start now and I have to start to manage and change and try things.”

Ranieri has made regular calls to Kante since winning the Premier League title.

But he hinted Chelsea are not the only big club trying to sign his midfield lynchpin.

“Maybe it is not Chelsea, maybe it is another team who made the Champions League,” said Ranieri who also insists that PFA player of the year Riyad Mahrez is not to sale at any price.

 

Meanwhile, new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has told the club to sign him three more players if they want to compete with the Premier League’s big guns again.

The Blues, who finished 10th last season, have so far only signed £33m Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi.

Conte wants the Kante deal done along with Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly as well as another striker.

“Right now some might think that Chelsea are not favourites for the title,” he said at his unveiling yesterday.

“I think that they can be right after last season. Also, you see that we have signed only Batshuayi.

“We are talking with the club and we know that the team needs to reinforce. I am sure that in the coming days we can reach our target to reinforce the team to go closer to the other teams.

“In the coming days we can buy one, two, three players - players that can reinforce us for the season as it will be very, very tough.”

Manchester United and Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Kante.