Chelsea trigger £20m release clause for Leicester City and EURO 2016 midfielder

Chelsea have reportedly made an offer of over £20m for France international midfielder N’Golo Kante, according to the Daily Mail.

The Premier League side, who could only finish tenth in the English top-flight standings last month after a miserable defence of their 2014/15 title, have been continuously linked with a summer swoop for the Leicester City star.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

The 25-year-old, who has eight international caps for his country and helped France reach the final of EURO 2016 on Sunday before eventually losing to Portugal (1-0), scored one goal and provided four assists in 40 appearances in all competitions for the title-winning Foxes last season.

Kante, who only arrived at the King Power Stadium last August for a reported £5.6m following his switch from French side Caen, is wanted by new Blues boss Antonio Conte as his second summer signing following the £33m arrival of Belgium international forward Michy Batshuayi from Marseille.

The report suggests that Chelsea’s offer has triggered the midfielder’s release clause (£20m), leaving the former Boulogne ace free to negotiate a transfer away from Leicester.