Arsenal and Tottenham set to battle for N'Golo Kante following £20m release clause revelation

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are set to battle for the services of Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante in the summer following his impressive performances for the title chasers in his debut Premier League campaign. The midfielder, who joined from French club Caen in the summer for a fee of around £5.6m ($7.9m), is said to have a release clause in his contract that can be activated by interested clubs at the end of the season.

According to the Daily Mail, the midfielder has a £20m ($28.2m) release clause written into his contract, which is likely to perk up the interest of clubs keen to sign him in the summer. Apart from the two north London clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have also shown interest in the Frenchman, whose performances earned him a first international call-up to Didier Deschamps squad during the recent international break, with the midfielder also scoring on his full debut for his country.

Kante, who is contracted to Leicester until the summer of 2019, has been impressive for the Foxes this season. He is the top tackler and interceptor in the Premier League, which has seen him being nominated for the year ending Players' Player of the Year along with two of his teammates Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.

The Gunners are keen to bolster their midfield with Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky all set to depart in the summer following the expiry of their contracts and Arsene Wenger will be keen to bring in defensive cover in midfield to provide competition for Francis Coquelin. Kante will represent a significant upgrade and his efficiency will provide greater protection to the Arsenal back four, who have been susceptible to counter attacks yet again this season.

The French midfielder has welcomed interest from other clubs and has refused to commit his future to the King Power Stadium outfit. His comments prompted Claudio Ranieri to admit that he could lose Kante to one of the big clubs in the summer, as he is not willing to hold on to a player against his wishes.