CHELSEA have a fight on their hands to keep hold of midfield pair Jorginho and N’Golo Kante.
Barcelona and Napoli are reportedly leading the race to claim the two who are both out of contract at the end of this season.
Jorginho and Kante have been key players in Chelsea’s midfield for a number of years
If they do not renegotiate new terms, both players can leave for free.
The Blues are keen to tie both down to new deals and avoid losing valued first-team members for nothing.
But the Standard report Barcelona and Napoli offer tempting alternatives for both if they wish to end their time in west London.
Kante has reportedly had an ongoing contract dispute with Chelsea over the terms of his deal.
While he has been one of the club’s most important figures since signing in 2016, injury issues has hampered his game time.
The 31-year-old has only appeared for the club twice this season in the Premier League but is hoping to return later this season after hamstring surgery.
Kante is one of the highest-paid players in the squad on £290,000-a-week and the Blues are keen for him to stay if he can put his fitness issues behind him.
Barcelona are waiting in the wings if talks break down.
Chelsea also want Jorginho to stay and the Italian is believed to also want to remain at the club.
But he is looking for an increase on his £120k-a-week to £150k-a-week, reports say
Napoli read the race for Jorginho, who already spent four years in Naples before signing for Chelsea in 2018.
Barcelona are also believed to be interested in the 31-year-old but could look elsewhere. Newcastle have also been linked to Jorginho.
Chelsea will be keen to avoid a situation similar to last year when they lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for nothing.
