Fenerbahce Blames Al-Ittihad for Kante Transfer Collapse

Fenerbahce has asserted that Al-Ittihad is responsible for the unsuccessful transfer of French midfielder N’Golo Kante.

The Turkish club stated that they had fulfilled all obligations related to the transfer, which included Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri moving in the opposite direction. Fenerbahce confirmed that agreements had been reached with both players, and that Kante had completed his medical examinations in accordance with the terms of the deal.

However, the club claimed that discrepancies in the Transfer Matching System entries by Al-Ittihad prevented the transactions from being finalized within the designated transfer registration period, independent of Fenerbahce’s efforts.

Fenerbahce further noted that they had sought an extension to finalize the deal and had engaged in discussions with FIFA, stating, “All steps were taken to resolve the issue.”

Despite these efforts, they reported that Al-Ittihad failed to complete the necessary transactions and did not provide any justification for the delay. Consequently, the transfer process could not be completed.

The BBC Sport has reached out to Al-Ittihad for their comments on this matter.

In related news, France striker Karim Benzema departed Al-Ittihad to join their rival Saudi Pro League team, Al-Hilal, which led to speculation that En-Nesyri might have been brought in as his replacement.

Kante, who is 34 years old, joined Al-Ittihad from Chelsea in 2023 after an illustrious career, which included victories in the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League, and FA Cup with the Blues, as well as contributing to Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League title win in the 2015-16 season.