World-class midfielder N’Golo Kante is also headed to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s “money power” for global soccer stars is gaining momentum. It is poised to sweep away players who have enjoyed glittering careers in Europe. Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is also eyeing the Middle East.
On May 5, The Sun reported, citing Italian journalist Rudi Galletti, that Kante is headed to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad. Al Ittihad is the favorite destination for last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who announced his departure from Real Madrid on Thursday. Al Ittihad has made a move to bring Benzema and fellow French international Kante to the club.
To that end, Al Ittihad officials will soon be traveling to London, England, where Kante is based, to speak with his club Chelsea.
“The Tigers (as Al Ittihad are nicknamed) are confident that a deal will be finalized quickly with Kante’s contract with Chelsea expiring at the end of the month,” the newspaper explained, “Chelsea are hoping to offer Kante a two-year extension to keep him at Stamford Bridge, but he is preparing to leave.”
A key player in Leicester City’s fairytale Premier League title triumph in 2015/16, Kante became a star player when he joined Chelsea the following season. He spent seven years at Chelsea, scoring 11 goals in 190 Premier League games. During this time, he tasted most of the glory that soccer has to offer, including winning the World Cup with France and the UEFA Champions League.
Injuries this season limited him to just seven Premier League appearances and he missed the World Cup in Qatar, prompting speculation that he was preparing for a new destination, but he remained silent on Chelsea’s offer and will now join Al Ittihad for no fee.메이저놀이터
Based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Al Ittihad are a traditional club in the Middle East, having won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League twice in 2004 and 2005. In the 2022/23 season, the club also won the Saudi top flight title ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr and Lionel Messi’s Al Hilal.
Meanwhile, Al Ittihad are also pursuing Spanish striker Adama Traore from Hwang Hee-chan’s club, Premier League side Wolverhampton.