Barcelona eye surprise move for out-of-form Chelsea midfielder

Barcelona are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante and willing to use Philippe Coutinho as bait to get a deal over the line, claims Mundo Deportivo.

The Spanish giants want to add energy to their current midfield options for next season and believe Kante has the ideal profile.

Barcelona want to move on the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal to make room for a new midfielder, while Coutinho is also transfer listed.

Kante has endured a nightmare 2019/20 campaign blighted by several niggling injuries and his stock has dipped as a result.

Once seen as indispensible to any team, Kante is on the verge of being deemed surplus to requirements for the first time since moving to England in 2015.

Kante established himself as arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world during his first three years in England but he has lost his way somewhat since then.

Maurizio Sarri changed Kante's positioning to incorporate new signing Jorginho last season and current boss Frank Lampard has stuck with that.

Kante averaged 7 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League during his first three seasons compared to just 3.6 across the last two campaigns.

For the first time there is a sense Chelsea could be convinced to discuss Kante's possible departure and Barcelona hope to use Coutinho as a makeweight.

Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for the Brazil international in recent weeks and are believed to be the most likely destination if he returns to the Premier League this summer.