PUMA's late 2018 recruitment drive powers on as Chelsea midfielder and all round loveable little munchkin N'Golo Kanté looks set to be the latest player to join the brand's ranks from adidas. The Frenchman trained in a blackout edition of the next-generation PUMA ONE series on Tuesday morning.
In September this year Kanté was spotted wearing the PUMA Future silo in training, but he's continued to wear adidas in competitive matches with his contract with adidas still valid. That current contract may well expire at the end of the year which would explain why Kanté has begun to test blackout models of PUMA boots on the training ground, with a view to a move to the brand.
It's been an immensely successful few years for Kanté, winning the Premier League, World Cup, and becoming one of world football's most loved players, and his value to a brand has risen with that. PUMA have acknowledged his increased profile and look to be in talks to offer Kanté an improved deal to switch from adidas.
PUMA have been super active in recent months when it comes to bulling their 2019 squad. They've already dished out next-generation Future boots to Virgil van Dijk and Serge Gnabry, both of whom are Nike players, and now they've supplied Kanté with the upcoming ONE update as they look to add a different dimension to their line-up. As for the boot itself, on first inspection it looks to be a subtle upgrade on the current generation silhouette.
The 2018 FIFPro World XI was made up exclusively of adidas and Nike players, so PUMA will no doubt be looking to break into the elite by adding more muscle to their squad. They've already got attacking abundance in Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Sergio Aguero, and a midfielder of Kanté's calibre and popularity would be a solid addition to their ranks.
Expect a full first look at the next-generation PUMA ONE boot in January 2019...