Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is happy to stay at Stamford Bridge, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.

The France international is yet to reach an agreement with the Blues over a new contract, but Phillips says the two parties will talk again about an extension.

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Chelsea contract news - N'Golo Kante

Phillips recently told GMS that Chelsea's previous discussions with Kante and his team-mate Jorginho about new deals had not gone anywhere.

It comes after The Athletic claimed back in September that the 31-year-old turned down an initial two-year offer from the west London club due to it not being long enough.

Kante is now well into the final year of his contract, meaning foreign clubs will be able to enter talks with him in January ahead of a potential free transfer next summer.

The France star has been at Chelsea since 2016, joining them from Leicester City in a £30m deal, as reported by BBC Sport.

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What has Simon Phillips said about N'Golo Kante and Chelsea?

Phillips says Kante is still hoping to agree a new contract with Chelsea.

Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: "Kante is happy to stay at Chelsea and he's hoping he can find an agreement there still, but right now it's not happening. But they will talk again, I think, before a final decision is made either way."

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

How long can Chelsea let this drag on for?

Not much longer if they really do want to keep hold of Kante. As mentioned earlier, he can start talking to other clubs next month and you would expect there to be a lot of interest in him.

Kante has, of course, had a lot of injury problems recently. But when he is fully fit and playing, there might not be a better defensive-minded midfielder in football.

When he was still in charge of Chelsea, Frank Lampard told talkSPORT that the former Leicester man was a "world-class" footballer, and it is easy to see why.

As per WhoScored, he made 2.3 tackles per league game last season, more than any other member of the Blues' squad bar Kenedy, who only made one appearance that campaign.

Kante was also in Chelsea's top five players for dribbles completed with an average of 1.3, showing that he can carry the ball forward, too.

Graham Potter's squad would be much weaker without Kante, but you can understand Chelsea's hesitancy to hand him a long-term deal given his recent injury record.

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