Official: N’golo Kante has signed for Fenerbahçe

French defensive midfielder, N’golo Kante, has put pen to paper for Turkish Süper Lig giants, Fenerbahçe, from Saudi Professional League club, Al-Ittihad, for the next two-and-a-half years, until 2028.

The Club made the announcement on Thursday 5 February, 2026.

The signing ceremony took place at the Club’s headquarters and was graced by Board Members.

Via an official statement on its official website, Fenerbahçe announced: “Our club has added world-renowned midfielder N’Golo Kanté to its squad.

“The French star, who has achieved numerous successes in his career, including World Cup and Champions League titles, signed a 2.5-year contract with the yellow and blue colors.

“The signing ceremony, held at our club headquarters, was attended by our Board Members Ertan Torunoğulları, Ufuk Şansal, İlker Arslan, our Football Inc. Board Members Ömer Topbaş, Turgay Terzi, Sinan Öncel, and our Sporting Director Devin Özek.”

34-year old Kante joined Al-Ittihad from Premier League giants, Chelsea Football Club, after winning the Uefa Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup with the London-based Club.

The Frenchman joined Chelsea from Leicester City in 2016 after helping the Foxes win the Premier League title the previous season.

Kante’s hopes of joing Fenerbahçe looked like it was not going to work as the Turkish top flight club released a statement on Tuesday blaming Al-Ittihad for the collapse of the move.

Fenerbahçe claimed the Saudi Club had failed to file the essential paperwork to seal the transfer, which involves, Youssef En-Nesyri, Morocco international, moving the opposite way.

Subsequently, Fenerbahçe confirmed on Wednesday the problem had been settled and that the former Chelsea midfielder had successfully completed his move to Turkey after 2½ years in Saudi Arabia.

Sporting Director Devin Özek’s comments on N’golo Kante’s transfer

According to Fenerbahçe’s official website, in his post-transfer comments, Özek said: “We are very happy to have added one of the world’s best midfielders to our squad. Kanté has won almost all major trophies throughout his career, including the World Cup and the Champions League.

“We will benefit greatly from his winning mentality and vast experience. With N’Golo, we have not only acquired a fantastic footballer but also a wonderful person.

“Furthermore, Kanté will be one of the pioneers of our %1 project for disabled children, which we started together with Sidiki. We welcome N’Golo Kanté to our family.”

Photo: Fenerbahçe new signing, N’golo Kante | X/Fenerbahçe SK