BBC pundit Ian Wright believes this could be the summer that Chelsea consider finding a replacement for N’Golo Kante.

The Frenchman has just one year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and Wright believes that, as the midfielder has begun to pick up more injuries, it may be time to consider potential alternatives:

“Kante is starting to get a little bit of injuries so they’re going to need to replace him.”

Manager Thomas Tuchel has labelled Kante the club’s Neymar, Mbappe, Salah, De Bruyne and van Dijk all rolled into one; such is his importance to the Blues.

However, even Tuchel admitted that the 31-year-old’s injury record has been a problem this season, stating it was a “miracle” that they finished third in the Premier League considering how much time the player spent on the sidelines.

It should be pointed out that Kante did make 42 appearances in all competitions over the course of the campaign but he did only start 21 league matches due to knee and muscular injuries. A contract extension is likely to be tabled in the coming weeks so Wright may well be calling time on his Chelsea career slightly too soon.