Fenerbahçe complete signing of N’Golo Kanté
Fenerbahçe have completed the signing of French midfielder N’Golo Kanté after a protracted transfer saga during the January 2026 window, the Turkish club announced on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old World Cup winner joined on a 2.5-year contract running until June 30, 2028, following his departure from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.
The move was initially agreed earlier in January as part of a player-plus-cash deal involving Youssef En-Nesyri, but collapsed on deadline day due to incorrect data entries by Al-Ittihad into FIFA’s Transfer Matching System. Fenerbahçe later engaged FIFA to find a legal route to complete the transfer.
Kanté, who was keen to return to European football ahead of the 2026 World Cup, declined to train with Al-Ittihad as negotiations stalled. The Saudi club ultimately agreed to terminate his contract, allowing the transfer to proceed outside the TMS framework.
Turkish media reported Kanté accepted a reduced salary of around 8 million euros per season, with Fenerbahçe paying a fee of approximately 3–4 million euros.
Kanté has won the Premier League, Champions League and World Cup, and made 79 appearances for Al-Ittihad. He is expected to play a key midfield role under coach Domenico Tedesco as Fenerbahçe compete domestically and in Europe.
