Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the French midfielder signed a contract with Fenerbahce until June 2028, after his contract with Al Ittihad ended. Both clubs received the green light from FIFA after procedural and paperwork issues were resolved. Notably, Kante only wanted to join Fenerbahce and did not consider any other options.
Previously, the seemingly completed deal unexpectedly fell through on the last day of the transfer window due to an administrative error on Al Ittihad's part. Kante was even preparing to fly to Istanbul to finalize the procedures. This incident angered Fenerbahce, who publicly blamed the Saudi Arabian club, asserting that they had fulfilled all their obligations on time.
The deadlock reached its peak when it was revealed that Kante refused to train with Al Ittihad, as a move to pressure the club into pushing the deal through. According to French media, the 2018 World Cup winner did not want to continue playing for his current club while awaiting a final decision from FIFA. The fact that the transfer window in Türkiye remained open until February 6th opened up an opportunity for all the issues to be resolved, and ultimately, Kante got his wish.
Kante's departure comes at a particularly sensitive time for Al Ittihad. The team has been unable to strengthen its squad due to the closing of the transfer window, while Karim Benzema has just made a shock move to rivals Al Hilal. The reigning Saudi Pro League champions are in a difficult position for the remainder of the season.
After winning the 2024/25 league title, Al Ittihad currently sits in 7th place after 19 rounds, 13 points behind leaders Al Hilal. Despite a recent three-match unbeaten run, including a 1-0 victory against Al Najma, the departures of both Kante and Benzema have exposed significant internal instability within the Jeddah team.
Source: https://znews.vn/kante-noi-loan-de-ra-di-post1625067.html
Comment (0)