Transfers wrap up: Chelsea to treble wages of Leicester's N'Golo Kante to ward off PSG interest

Chelsea to treble Kante's wages
Chelsea will offer a five-year deal with wages in excess of £100,000 per week in a bid to fend off Paris Saint-Germain's interest in Leicester City's star midfielder N'Golo Kante, according to the Mirror.

Antonio Conte is dreaming of partnering the French international alongside Radja Nainggolan in a midfield that would offer tremendous athleticism. Kante has a £20 million release clause, while Roma will command in excess of £30m for the Belgian international.
Should the Blues be able to pull off both deals, the Mirror suggest Cesc Fabregas' future will be thrown into doubt. But Fabregas, who was never comfortable operating in a two-man midfield last season, could flourish with the dynamic duo able to do his legwork.

Barcelona look to Ligue 1 for Suarez backup
Replacing Luis Suarez is an impossible task, but Barcelona will attempt to find a backup this summer who can arguably provide a plan B, which has led the Blaugrana to Marseille's Michy Batshuayi.
Spanish newspaper Sport (via TalkSport) suggest the Belgian international is the contingency plan if the Liga champions cannot land Celta Vigo's Nolito. The 29-year-old is in sparkling form for Spain ahead of the Euros and is able to fill in for Neymar and Lionel Messi out wide too.
Batshuayi is also on the radar of Chelsea and Arsenal after an explosive season for Olympique Marseille, which saw him bag 17 goals and become one of the most highly rated young strikers in Europe.

Hammers stunned by Vardy numbers
West Ham walked away from a deal for Jamie Vardy as the numbers were too much, though quite how co-chairman David Sullivan thought the Hammers could attract Leicester's star striker is unclear.
Sullivan, speaking on the club's official website, expressed a desire to acquire the England international, though they will have to look elsewhere, with Batshuayi and Christian Benteke the latest targets after bids were turned down for Carlos Bacca, Alexandre Lacazette and Callum Wilson.
"It was reported that one of our targets was Jamie Vardy, and while it is true that we would have loved to have had him, the numbers being talked about in a potential move to Arsenal show that the market is going potty," Sullivan bemoaned.

Conte to be reunited with Asamoah
Antonio Conte will bring Kwadwo Asamoah with him to start his reign at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea able to land the Juventus midfielder for as little as £16m, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Conte was in charge of the Old Lady when Asamoah moved to Turin from Udinese four years ago, as the Italy coach selected him predominantly as a left-wing-back, though the Ghanaian made his name as an explosive box-to-box midfielder beforehand.
Conte is yet to reveal how he'll set up the Blues next season, but Asamoah could be an important cog, due to his versatility and ability to inject energy into his side's game. One concern could be Asamoah's fitness record after a string of injuries have limited his impact under Conte's successor Massimiliano Allegri.

Other news
- Watford and Tottenham will go head-to-head for Genoa's Uruguayan winger Diego Laxalt, though Gazzetta dello Sport mention Fiorentina are also in the running. The Grifone will resist all offers for their gem, unless a "monstrous" bid comes in. Laxalt joined Genoa from Inter for £3m, and his pace has been a real weapon for Gian Piero Gasperini on the left, with his coach determined to maintain his services.

- Manchester City are close to reaching an agreement with Russian side Ufa for highly rated youngster Oleksandr Zinchenko, with Goal reporting Pep Guardiola's side could land the Ukrainian ahead of Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old's agent claimed his client would join Thomas Tuchel's side, but City could now swoop for the player and loan him out next season.
Source: ESPN Soccernet