ISTANBUL — The transfer of World Cup champion N’Golo Kanté to Fenerbahce is on the verge of completion after Al Ittihad consented to his departure on Tuesday.
The transaction appeared to be nearly off when the Turkish club accused Al Ittihad of causing the transfer to fall through earlier in the day.
Fenerbahce indicated that the agreement, which included Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri moving in the opposite direction, could not proceed initially due to administrative mistakes made by the Saudi Arabian club.
“Due to the incorrect entry of the relevant TMS [Transfer Matching System] information by the opposing club, the procedures could not be finalized within the transfer registration period, for reasons beyond our club’s control,” Fenerbahce stated, emphasizing that it paid “meticulous attention to every detail.”
The FIFA TMS is mandatory for all international transfers.
“An extension was requested, and our club engaged in necessary discussions with FIFA, taking all steps to resolve the process,” Fenerbahce continued. “However, during the ongoing process, the opposing club did not complete the procedures without providing any justification to us.”
Later, Al-Ittihad shared a farewell message on X, confirming it had agreed “to sell the remaining duration” of Kanté’s contract.
The 34-year-old Kanté, who joined Al Ittihad in 2023, recently made his return to the France national team, achieving his 65th cap for Les Bleus in November during a 4-0 victory over Ukraine.
Fenerbahce is pursuing its first Turkish league title in 12 years. In the transfer window, it also acquired another French international, midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who aims to regain a spot in the national team ahead of the World Cup.
