Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has heaped praise on France and Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante following Les Bleus' World Cup win over Australia. The midfielder put in a superb performance in a 2-1 victory over the Socceroos, where a penalty netted by Antoine Griezmann and an own goal from Aziz Behich got the Euro 2016 runners-up off to a perfect start. France didn't have it all their own way in the match though and Kante had to work hard in the middle of the field, where he dictated the tempo of the game with calm and controlled play. While Kante didn't make the headlines, Wenger praised the 27-year-old's involvement when speaking to beIN Sports. "He is one of the most influential midfielders I've seen play football. He constantly makes simple decisions and never overcomplicates it," the Arsenal icon said. Wenger, who left the Gunners at the end of the 2017-18 season after 22 years at the helm in north London, also revealed he attempted to sign Kante twice, including before he was brought to the Premier League by Leicester City. "Have I looked to sign Kante? Yes. When he was in France and when he was at Leicester," he added. "I cannot explain everything [about why he preferred Chelsea] but it is quite obvious when you look at where he has gone. "Was it the money? I do not want to talk about that. Transfers are transfers - you cannot explain absolutely everything." Kante has won the Premier League and FA Cup in his two seasons at Chelsea and is widely being linked with a return to France this summer to join Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

N’Golo Kante is paying little attention to talk of a possible summer switch to Paris Saint-Germain, with the Chelsea midfielder the latest man to have sparked exit speculation at Stamford Bridge. Having helped Leicester and the Blues to back-to-back Premier League title successes, the 27-year-old was brought back down to earth with a bump last season alongside a number of team-mates in west London. Chelsea did counter their failure to secure a top-four finish with FA Cup success, but uncertainty reigns when it comes to the respective futures of several high-profile figures. Head coach Antonio Conte continues to be linked with a move elsewhere, while the likes of Alvaro Morata, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and now Kante have sparked transfer rumours. The latter is, however, fully focused on World Cup duty with France for now, telling reporters when quizzed on the PSG links: “I am not concerned with all that. “Today, I am at Chelsea, and today I am currently living and playing in the World Cup, that is what comes first. “I am not paying attention to what is being said on the club side of things at the moment.” Kante played the full 90 minutes for France in their Russia 2018 opener against Australia, with Les Bleus battling their way to a 2-1 win. He linked up with his international colleagues having figured in 34 of Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures last season and 48 games in total.