N'Golo Kante, 31, is still out with an injury, but Graham Potter has decided to bring him to Abu Dhabi with his 25-man team. Since limping out against Tottenham in the second game of the season with a hamstring injury, the Frenchman hasn't played a single minute.
In addition, his contract is about to expire in six months, and on January 1 he will be free to discuss leaving the Premier League. Despite being aware of this and the fact that negotiations to extend Kante's current contract have stalled, Potter yet brought the World Cup champion along for training in the warmer months.
Due to Jorginho's comparable contract situation, Potter's predicament is complicated, with the possibility of losing his two most senior players in the centre of the park for free at the same time. Although Chelsea have been aware of this issue for a while, it's daunting for Potter as he looks to rebuild the squad and leave his own stamp on it.
The first chance for that to happen will be in January, when Chelsea are expected to be busy in the market both for immediate reinforcements and in preparation of an equally hectic summer. The biggest targets in that regard are unlikely to be available though, and moves for first choice duo Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice won't be on the move until deeper into 2023, if at all.
Outside of them, Edson Alvarez remains a target, football.london understands. Another player they could revisit having been unsuccessful with signing earlier this year is Southampton's Belgian starlet Romeo Lavia. The midfielder only left Manchester City in the summer, joining Saints for £12million, but made a big impression in his first months on the south coast.
He was taken to St Mary's along with academy and recruitment expert Joe Shields, who has now joined Chelsea and may be able to help his new club to secure a move for a player with a big future. According to RMC journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Chelsea's previous attempts to get Lavia shouldn't be ignored.
The 18-year-old star may well be the successor to Kante in the heart of midfield for the Blues, and his reported £50million price tag is unlikely to put off Todd Boehly after the co-owner invested heavily into young talent over the summer, and continues to do so moving forward.
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