Man United get cold feet amid £17m Chelsea transfer swoop for Thomas Tuchel's own Kylian Mbappe

Chelsea look set to be handed a major boost in their efforts to agree a new contract with N'Golo Kante. The 31-year-old, who sees his current deal at Stamford Bridge expire next summer, has attracted the attention of Manchester United this summer, according to The Guardian.

The France international featured 42 times for the Blues this season, though a growing injury record hampered his ability to reach the heights that he once relished. The report claims that United are eager to find out whether the midfielder could be sold this summer, with his contract in west London coming to an end.

It's believed that Chelsea are reluctant to sell the Frenchman, who is a favourite of Tuchel. And, as a result, Erik ten Hag's side have caught on; according to Goal, United are conscious of being used as leverage in Kante's contract negotiations.

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The Red Devils have been long-term admirers of the Blues midfielder and, following Ten Hag's appointment, interest in Kante from Old Trafford has seemingly intensified. However, his aforementioned injury record poses a problem for either party that are chasing his signature.

Nonetheless, Tuchel thinks that the Frenchman's career in west London deserves more recognition and claims that the midfielder has been the key to Chelsea's recent success. Earlier this month, when asked if Kante should be spoken of alongside Didier Drogba, the Blues boss said: "For sure, but because he is not that obvious, he is not in the spotlight, he is even more important for a team because a guy like N’Golo with the mentality of a helper, a water carrier, this makes the difference and big teams and successful teams need this.