Chelsea legend Claude Makelele believes Leicester City star N’Golo Kante deserves to be playing “in a big team” amid transfer links to the Blues.
Kante enjoyed a superb 2015/16 season as the Frenchman helped Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes side clinch their first-ever Premier League title in remarkable fashion.
His form at the King Power Stadium resulted in Kante being included in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for Euro 2016, where Les Bleus progressed to the final but were beaten by Portugal, and being linked with a host of clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea.
According to the London Evening Standard, the Blues are considering a move for Kante, who has a £20m release clause in his contract at Leicester, after putting talks with Roma over a deal for Radja Nainggolan on hold.
And Makalele has praised Kante for being the driving force behind Leicester’s title success last term, and admits the midfielder should move to a “big” club this summer.
“I enjoyed the way I had to play, this position made me happy,” the 43-year- old told The Sun of his time at Chelsea.
“My men, I wanted to make them happy, the players behind me happy – I didn’t need to score, the good things came after.
“This job is very difficult, but I loved it. I don’t want N’Golo Kante to be compared with me. Kante can be Kante.
“I want him to be more than me, but I love to watch him play because you can see in him the joy. I love the kind of player like that, who plays for the team.
“Sometimes you see a team with big players, but for me whenever a team is winning it is because of spirit.
“He arrived in a good way, now he wants to play in the Champions League. It’s another competition, another stress, just like the national team.
“He needs to get everything from every experience. He still has the same way of playing, the same happiness, but he needs to play in a big team.”
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