Chelsea agree £30m deal with Leicester City to sign N'Golo Kante

Chelsea have wrapped up their second signing after agreeing a £30m ($39.5m) deal with Leicester City for the transfer of N'Golo Kante. The French midfielder has been a revelation since his arrival from Caen last summer and also impressed with his national team at the recently concluded European Championships.

According to the Telegraph, the France international has agreed a five-year deal and is set to earn around £150,000-a-week at Stamford Bridge. Antonio Conte had made Kante a priority signing as he looks to add some steel and energy to his midfield.

The 25-year-old midfielder, who was nominated for the PFA footballer of the year award last season following his impressive showing in Leicester's title run, is said to have requested to leave the Premier League champions despite Chelsea not playing in the Champions League this season. Claudio Ranieri had indicated that the final decision lies with the player as the Foxes had also made a fresh offer to retain his services.

Kante's arrival at the Bridge is likely to put the futures of Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel in doubt as they play in a similar position to the Frenchman. The former has been linked with a move away in recent weeks with a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United being touted, while the latter could be unwilling to remain at the club to play a secondary role.

The Chelsea manager is looking to further strengthen his team following the capture of Michy Batshuayi and Kante and a centre-back is next on his radar. Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly is top of the manager's list and the Blues have already submitted a bid for the defender, but are facing competition from Everton, whose interest has driven up the prize.

The Toffees are keen to get a top quality replacement before letting John Stones complete his proposed move to Manchester City, and are ready to battle the Stamford Bridge outfit for the Senegal international's signature.