N’Golo Kante will join Al-Ittihad as a free agent on a three-year contract, according to a statement released by the Saudi club on Tuesday. Kante spent seven years playing for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The France international will be playing for Al-Ittihad with fellow countryman and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who joined the west London club in 2016 after moving there from Leicester City.
“Don’t believe in bogus news. According to a video statement that the club shared on Twitter, Kante has officially joined the Ittihad football team.
According to reports in British media, the midfielder, who is 32 years old and has signed a deal for around 86 million pounds ($109.78 million) per year.
After 14 trophy-filled years at Real Madrid, Benzema decided to leave the club and sign a two-year agreement with the Saudi Arabian champions. The transaction was said to be for more than 100 million euros ($109.17 million), and Benzema left Real Madrid.
Kante has been a consistent contributor for Chelsea, helping the team win the FA Cup, the Europa League, the Champions League, and the Premier League throughout his tenure there.
Kante’s previous season was marred by injuries, as he was forced to miss a total of 38 matches across all competitions. As a result, Chelsea struggled without him and finished in the 12th position in the league.
A number of prominent players have been connected with transfers to Saudi Arabia over the past few weeks, while Cristiano Ronaldo has already agreed to terms with Al-Nassr for a contract that is rumored to be worth about $220 million per year. Ronaldo signed with Al-Nassr in December.