SOCCER: Kante joins Fenerbahce after transfer dispute

N’Golo Kante Joins Fenerbahce as Youssef En-Nesyri Moves to Al-Ittihad. Fenerbahce has confirmed the signing of French midfielder N’Golo Kante, following a brief controversy over the completion of the deal. Meanwhile, Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri has joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad.

Kante, who won Premier League titles with both Leicester City and Chelsea, returns to Europe after spending two and a half seasons with Al-Ittihad. The transfer initially faced hurdles when Fenerbahce stated that Al-Ittihad had not submitted the required information to FIFA’s transfer matching system. However, the Saudi club later confirmed Kante’s sale and signed En-Nesyri as a replacement for Karim Benzema, who left Al-Ittihad by mutual agreement to join Al-Hilal on Monday.

“Welcome to our Fenerbahce, N’Golo Kante,” the Turkish club posted on X.

The 34-year-old midfielder was a key figure in France’s 2018 World Cup-winning team and is looking forward to competing at the 2026 tournament in North America next summer.

En-Nesyri, 28, joined Fenerbahce in 2024 from La Liga side Sevilla and scored 38 goals in 79 appearances across all competitions.

-Reporting by Mohamed Yossry, additional reporting by Ahmad El Ghannam; editing by Michael Perry/Reuters