Fenerbahçe Alleged Al-Ittihad Claiming the collapse of his proposed move for France midfielder N’Golo Kante Saudi Pro League The club failed to complete the transfer process on time.

In a statement, the Turkish club said they had met all the requirements on their side of the deal, with Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nessiri also moving in the opposite direction, and that agreements had already been reached with the players involved.

Fenerbahce said the medical examinations had been completed and that they had fulfilled their obligations “fully and on time”.

“However, transactions could not be completed within the transfer registration period, independent of our club, due to incorrect entry of relevant transfer matching system information by the opposing club,” the statement read.

The Istanbul-based side added that they had requested an extension to finalize the transfer and held discussions with Fifa, insisting that “all steps were taken to resolve the issue”.

“Despite this, the opposing club did not complete the transactions without providing us with any justification,” Fenerbahce said.

“As a result of this development, unfortunately the transfer process could not be finalised.”

The deal collapsed shortly after France striker Karim Benzema left Al-Ittihad to join Saudi rivals Al-Hilal on Tuesday, with An-Nessiri expected to be considered as a possible replacement.

Kante, 34, joined Al-Ittihad from Chelsea in 2023 after a highly successful spell in England, where he won the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup with the Blues.

He was also a key figure in Leicester City’s Premier League title winning side during the 2015–16 season.