N’Golo Kanté’s transfer to Fenerbahce back on track after initial collapse

By Canadian Press on February 3, 2026.

ISTANBUL (AP) — World Cup winner N’Golo Kanté’s move to Fenerbahce is set to be finalized after Al-Ittihad finally agreed to let him go on Tuesday.

The deal had looked all but dead when the Turkish club blamed Al-Ittihad for making the transfer collapse earlier in the day.

Fenerbahce said the deal, which involved Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri moving in the opposite direction, could not initially go through due to administrative errors by the Saudi Arabian club.

“Due to incorrect entry of the relevant TMS (Transfer Matching System) information by the opposing club, the procedures could not be completed within the transfer registration period, for reasons independent of our club,” Fenerbahce said, adding it paid “meticulous attention to every detail.”

The use of the FIFA TMS is compulsory for all international transfers.

“An extension was requested, the necessary discussions were held by our club with FIFA, and all steps were taken to resolve the process,” Fenerbahce added. “Despite this, during the ongoing process, the opposing club failed to complete the procedures without providing any justification to us.”

But Al-Ittihad later posted a farewell message on X, saying it agreed “to sell the remaining period” of Kanté’s contract.

The 34-year-old Kanté, who joined Al-Ittihad in 2023, recently returned to the France team and made his 65th appearance for Les Bleus in November in a 4-0 win against Ukraine.

Fenerbahce is chasing its first Turkish league title in 12 years. In the transfer window it also recruited another France international, midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, who hopes to reclaim a place in the national squad ahead of the World Cup.

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The Associated Press