Thanks to “support” from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French midfielder Ngolo Kante has joined Fenerbahce from Saudi team Al-Ittihad, the Turkish team said on Wednesday.
World Cup champion Kante, who will turn 35 next month, was supposed to relocate to Istanbul earlier, but it appears that an administrative blunder caused the transfer to fall through.
Although Kante’s contract duration is unknown, it gives the two-time Premier League champion midfielder (Leicester 2016, Chelsea 2017) an opportunity to strengthen his case for a spot in France’s World Cup team.
On Tuesday, Erdogan made his first trip to Saudi Arabia in over two years.
Sadettin Saran, president of Fenerbahce, declared, “Our club has successfully completed the transfer of N’Golo Kante, a prominent figure in world football.”
Ads by “I would like to thank our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on behalf of myself and our club for his tremendous support in ensuring the successful conclusion of this process, which will contribute to the development of both Fenerbahce and Turkish football,” he continued.
During the winter transfer window, Kante’s fellow French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi was also signed by Fenerbahce, the 19-time Turkish champions.
Three points behind rival Istanbul team Galatasary, they are in a close race for the league crown. Later this month, they will play Nottingham Forest of England in the Europa League knockout round play-offs.
