Chelsea are reportedly close to finalising a new contract with midfielder N'Golo Kante.
The France international has endured the most frustrating season of his career having been absent since suffering a hamstring injury during the middle of August.
While the World Cup winner had initially hoped to return in October, a setback in his recovery led to surgery being required, leading to a further four-month period on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old's fitness issues coincided with his contract entering its final year, resulting in natural talk over whether Chelsea officials would look to cut their losses with a big earner.
That seemingly became more likely when Chelsea made a wide array of signings in January, including that of midfielder Enzo Fernandez for a club-record and British-record fee.
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Nevertheless, reports recently emerged that Kante wanted to extend his stay in West London, where he has been since 2016, and that the relevant parties were attempting to negotiate a compromise.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea and Kante have reached a stage where they are both confident that a deal will be completed in due course.
As it stands, it is unclear whether any contract will be two years with the option of a further 12 months, three years with the same clause, or a straight three-year deal.
A previous report has claimed that Kante was angling for the longest contract realistically possible as he bids to secure some clarity over his future.
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Kante has made 262 appearances in all competitions at Chelsea, the crowning moment being a man-of-the-match showing during the Champions League triumph over Manchester City in May 2021.
Having returned to training in recent days, there is hope that Kante may be able to prove his fitness in time for the second leg of the last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund in that competition on March 7.
Sunday's London derby at Tottenham Hotspur will almost certainly come too soon for the former Leicester City star to come back into contention.
However, Kante may be able to return to the substitutes' bench for the Premier League clash with Leeds United on March 4.
Darren Plant
