If Mohamadou Kante does indeed leave West Ham United this summer, the disappointment will not be the sale itself, but more so that the London Stadium never got to witness the true extent of his potential.
The reaction to Kante’s potential exit spoke volumes; ‘He’ll be a top player within the next couple of years and be worth a fortune,’ wrote one of Hammers News’ TalkingPoint users.
‘Don’t sell and make him a regular starter next season.’
This was in response to claims from The Athletic that a number of clubs back in France have taken an interest in Kante.
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He's been linked with a £20m return to France… 💸 🇫🇷
West Ham United reportedly value the former Paris FC kid at around £20 million.
A £19.5 million profit on a player who has not started a single league match is, on paper, good business. It is no secret that West Ham have to sell this summer.
And, if push comes to shove, would you really keep the exciting but unproven Kante if it meant losing a Tomas Soucek or a Dinos Mavropanos?
On the other hand, Kante feels like the sort of talent who could explode in the Championship and raise his value by a further £20 million or so over the next 12 months.
Fiorentina and French clubs sniff around West Ham United’s Mohamadou Kante
The identity of his alleged Ligue 1 suitors remains a mystery. Reports from La Nazione claiming that Fiorentina are interested, though, allows for some early analysis.
Sporting director Fabio Paratici appears to be an admirer. And the reason why the former Tottenham and Juventus chief appears so set on strengthening Fiorentina’s midfield has become pretty clear over the last 24 hours.
According to various reports, Nice are working to take Amir Richardson back to France from Florence. Europa League runners-up Freiburg are sniffing around Giovanni Fabbian, while the impressive performances of the rangy Cher Ndour have caught the eye of Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain.
This is without mentioning Albert Gudmundsson, the £20 million number ten who has failed to live up to his price-tag with the two-time Conference League finalists.
If Paratici believes Kante has the potential to play further forward – an eye-catching goalscoring record for the Hammers’ reserves suggests he can – then West Ham’s number 55 may have been identified as a replacement for no fewer than four exit-linked Fiorentina midfielders.
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Kante made his breakthrough in France with Paris FC
Fiorentina are far from the most deep-pocketed of Serie A clubs, though La Viola have made their fair share of eight-figure investments in recent transfer windows. Gudmundsson being one.
The potential sale of the Icelander, plus Ndour or Richardson, would also increase the spending power available to Paratici and new head coach Fabio Grosso.
From a Ligue 1 perspective, the likes of RC Lens and AS Monaco may be in the market for young, athletic profiles with plenty of re-sale potential. Both clubs will struggle to hold onto the most treasured midfield talents of their own this summer.
Paris FC, meanwhile, finished well clear of relegation in their first top-flight campaign for 44 years.
PSG’s nouveau-riche rivals may be tempted by the idea of bringing Kante back to the club where he made his debut.
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