Rumour surrounding N’Golo Kante’s future has now been rested following what was written in the final paragraph of an injury update story on the Chelsea website.
Most of what was written are about getting the France midfielder, and other players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, into peak condition whenever football returns.
But down the bottom is a statement from the head coach Frank Lampard which categorically shows he is part of the long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
That should put an end to any linking of the 29-year-old with a move away in the next transfer window.
Real Madrid is one of those been regularly mentioned in transfer speculation but the World Cup winner, who is under contract until the summer of 2023, is obviously a long-term key figure for Lampard’s side.
“We obviously need N’Golo Kante in our team, one of the best players in the world,” the head coach said at the end of the injury update.
“I knew that before becoming the manager of Chelsea, I know that from working with him. We, unfortunately, haven’t been able to have him much this year, but going forward we want him fit and ready to go.
“We had quite a few injuries going into the period when we finished playing. N’Golo Kante is a great example.
“He’s been a huge miss for us. Looking forward, and whenever a restart comes, we want to get him in his best shape.”
