The deal seemed to have fallen through, but now the player swap has been completed after all: N’golo Kanté is moving to Fenerbahce Istanbul, while Youssef En-Nesyri is heading to Saudi Arabia.
After two and a half years, N’Golo Kanté is leaving Saudi Arabia and continuing his career in Turkey. Fenerbahce had been trying to sign the 2018 World Cup winner for some time, but on Tuesday afternoon, the deal, which had already been finalized, fell through at the last minute. In a statement, the Istanbul club explained that Kanté’s previous club, Al-Ittihad, had made incorrect entries in FIFA’s transfer system and that the planned player swap—Kanté to Fenerbahce and striker Youssef En-Nesyri to Al-Ittihad—could therefore not be completed within the deadline. Late on Tuesday evening, there was a U-turn: Al-Ittihad announced Kanté’s departure and presented En-Nesyri as a new player – without giving any further reasons. According to media reports, FIFA had intervened and validated the swap after all. “Giving up is out of the question for us,” Fenerbahce wrote via X that evening. The Turkish club then officially announced Kanté’s signing on Wednesday night. “Some things take time,” Fener wrote on Instagram. The 34-year-old Kanté has now signed a contract with Fenerbahce until 2028, and transfer fees will be paid for both players: Kanté will reportedly bring Al-Ittihad around four million euros, while 15 million euros will go to Istanbul for En-Nesyri. The African Cup of Nations runner-up is said to have signed a four-year contract there.
En-Nesyri replaces Benzema
With the 2021 Champions League winner, the Süper Lig runners-up gain even more experience in central midfield, which Fenerbahce had just strengthened with Kanté’s French compatriot Matteo Guendouzi. Fener is currently three points behind league leaders Galatasaray. However, the comeback will have to be achieved without center forward En-Nesyri, who was still in the starting lineup for Monday evening’s league game at Kocaelispor.
Al-Ittihad had made it a condition that the Moroccan center forward move to Saudi Arabia in return, because Karim Benzema had fallen out with the club and moved to league rivals Al-Hilal. Benzema and Kanté had won the Saudi Arabian championship together in 2025, but now the two former French internationals are both leaving the club within a few days of each other.
