Arsene Wenger may well have a pretty big crush on N’Golo Kante, if his recent interview with beIN Sports is anything to go by.

The manager spilled the beans on his admiration for the Leicester City midfielder, sparking further speculation that we’re interested in signing him.

“I admire and like N’Golo Kante a lot – it gives you ideas,” he said to beIN Sports.

“He gives you the feeling that the higher the level he plays at, the more at ease he is. We are talking about numbers. He has the most interceptions in Europe and by far.

“He has incredible quality. He feels the game, only very few people can do that. He’s always where he needs to be. It is very rare to have that in the central midfielder. Not always orthodox, but always in the right place.”

Arsenal have been linked with Kante since the end of the 2015/16 season with both the boss and player being coy about a potential move. Since then, the 25-year-old has claimed that he wants to wait until after the Euros before he makes a decision either way.

France's midfielder N'Golo Kante arrives at the French national football team training base in Clairefontaine on May 24, 2016, as part of the team's preparation for the upcoming Euro 2016 European football championships. / AFP / FRANCK FIFE        (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Arsene Wenger stares lovingly at N’Golo Kante. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

Understandably, the Foxes are keen to keen hold of Kante; he was one of their stand-out players last season and undoubtedly helped them storm their way to the Premier League title. However, with both Arsenal and PSG beckoning, will the Frenchman be able to resist?

Could Wenger’s very public praise of the midfielder be buttering him up, knowing that we face stiff competition for his signature?