N’Golo Kante officially joins Al Ittihad

Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad have confirmed the signing of N’Golo Kante from Chelsea on a free transfer.

His move from Chelsea to Al Ittihad on a free transfer has been confirmed by the club as the France midfielder brings an end to 8 successful years at Stamford Bridge.

During his time at Chelsea, Kante won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup. He also lifted the World Cup with France in 2018.

The 32-year-old World Cup winner will team up with fellow Frenchman, Karim Benzema who agreed to move to the Saudi Pro League champions this summer and both will be managed by former Wolves boss, Nuno Espirito Santo.

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Meanwhile, Gary Neville has called on the Premier League to stop the transfer of players to Saudi Arabia until it is certain the integrity of its competition is not being put at risk.

 A growing number of players at their peak are attracting interest too, including Wolves captain, Ruben Neves, Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech and Arsenal’s Thomas Partey. It underlines the league’s ambition to be one of the top five in the world.

Neville, though, is among those asking what all this potential activity means.

In June, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United, confirmed it was taking over four leading clubs in the country, including Al-Nassr, who signed Ronaldo in December.