Al-Ittihad confirm signing of free agent N’Golo Kante as the French midfielder leaves Chelsea

Al-Ittihad have confirmed the signing of N’Golo Kante when he becomes a free agent at the end of his Chelsea deal this month.

Kante has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and now the club have confirmed it with a sequence of social media posts, hailing the French midfielder as the best box-to-box player in the world.

It officially marks the end of Kante’s time at Chelsea, having joined the club in 2016 from Leicester City.

He will link up with fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema at the club, after he joined the ranks of top players joining up with the Saudi Pro League, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for rivals Al-Nassr.

Kante is a 2018 World Cup winner with France, as well as Premier League winner with both Leicester and Chelsea. He also lifted the Champions League trophy with the Blues in 2021.  

The Frenchman has been hailed as the best box-to-box midfielder in the world on his move

A statement posted by the Saudi champions confirming the move read: ‘Ittihad Club wishes Kante success in achieving the club’s goals and fulfilling the expectations of all the club’s fans and supporters during his time with the team.’

They are in the FIFA Club World Cup later in the year, as well as bidding to retain their title as the international focus on the top flight of Saudi Arabian football intensifies.  

Kante is not the only Premier League star tipped to potentially make their way across to Al-Ittihad. 

Mail Sport previously reported that the club were interested in signing Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min for £51m – although Spurs are said to be reluctant to accept such a move. 

Kante leaves Chelsea at the end of his current contract, after joining the Blues back in 2016 

Also it was claimed that more Chelsea stars have attracted interest from Saudi Arabian clubs. 

Al-Hilal are trying to persuade defender Kalidou Koulibaly to join them with a three-year contract, while Al-Nassr have offered to double winger Hakim Ziyech’s salary in a bid to unite him with Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League last season under the helm of Nuno Espirito Santos. They beat Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr into second place, with Al-Hilal third and Al-Shabab fourth. 

Kante was limited to just nine appearances for his final season in a Chelsea shirt, having suffered with a hamstring injury picked up in August. Surgery in October forced him to miss France’s run to the World Cup final in Qatar in 2022.