Al-Ittihad announces the end of Kante's journey with the team

Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad Club officially announced the departure of French star N'Golo Kanté from the team, ending the controversy surrounding his transfer negotiations during the winter transfer window. In an official statement published on its website, the club explained that it had agreed to sell the remainder of Kanté's contract, thanking the player for his time with the team, during which he contributed to winning the Saudi Professional League and the King's Cup titles, and wishing him success in his future endeavors. Meanwhile, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that Kanté has signed a contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe extending until the summer of 2028. Kanté's transfer deal faced complications in the final hours of the transfer window after Fenerbahçe announced the collapse of the swap deal that would have seen Kanté move to the Turkish team in exchange for Youssef En-Nesyri joining Al-Ittihad. The deal fell through due to errors in data entry into the International Transfer Matching System (TMS) by the Saudi club, which prevented the completion of the procedures within the allotted time. It is worth noting that Kante's contract with Al-Ittihad was scheduled to end at the end of the current season, which would have given him the right to leave for free in the summer, after he joined the team in the summer of 2023 on a three-season contract.