Fenerbahçe seal N’Golo Kante after administrative deadlock ends | OneFootball

Fenerbahçe have completed the signing of World Cup winner N’Golo Kante from Al-Ittihad after a fraught 24-hour paperwork impasse.

The deal looked to have collapsed on Tuesday, with Fenerbahçe blaming an administrative breakdown. The club said in a statement that Al-Ittihad failed to meet FIFA’s requirements for transfer registration.

The deadlock lifted on Wednesday morning when Al-Ittihad posted a farewell message on social media, confirming agreement to sell the remaining portion of his contract.

The transfer sits within a complex swap, with Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri moving the other way. He arrives in Jeddah as a direct replacement for Karim Benzema, who recently left Al-Ittihad to join rivals Al-Hilal.

Kante’s switch to Istanbul marks a return to European football after two and a half years in the Middle East. His honours include Premier League titles with Leicester in 2016 and Chelsea in 2017, the Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea, and France’s 2018 World Cup.

He becomes Fenerbahçe’s second high-profile French midfielder this window, alongside Mattéo Guendouzi. The pair are expected to anchor José Mourinho’s midfield as the club push for the Süper Lig.

With registration finalised, Kante could make his debut as early as this weekend, bringing elite experience for domestic and continental campaigns.

Source: Turkish-Football.com