Arsenal urged to sign 'fantastic' N'Golo Kante as Gunners join Tottenham in race for Chelsea ace

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Arsenal have been linked with a surprise move for Chelsea star N'Golo Kante next summer, according to recent reports. The Gunners aren't alone in their interest though, with north London rivals Tottenham also eyeing a potential deal for the Frenchman to bolster their ranks.

The 31-year-old is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, opening up the possibility of him being a free agent. It could be a deal that works for Mikel Arteta, who was looking to add to his midfield ranks over the summer, but failed with a late move to do so.

"The club has done a phenomenal job and put everything on the table to try to bring the players and the profiles we wanted," the Spaniard said after the close of the window. "We did business pretty early but unfortunately in the last 72 hours, Thomas [Partey] got injured in the same place he got injured last time and then Mo [Mohamed Elneny] has a long-term injury and we had to react in the market."

While a late move for midfield reinforcements failed, the club could still look to invest in the transfer market over the course of the next few windows. The likes of Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans continue to be linked, with Kante being the latest to reoccur with reported interest.

It's move that former Tottenham striker Darren Bent believes would work for Arsenal, telling TalkSPORT: "I don’t think it would ever happen because for what Arteta’s trying to build, Kante is too old. But look at what he can give you, not as a starter, but someone who’s just in and about the squad. Imagine him and Partey…he is fantastic, he’ll go down as one of the absolute greats.

“If Kante is on a free at the end of this season, there will be top teams around the world that will still be queuing up for his signature.”

It remains to be seen if Arteta does act upon the opportunity of signing the World Cup winner should it arrive, though there could be concerns with how he would fit into the current building of the squad.