When his contract with Chelsea expires at the end of June, N'Golo Kante will go to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Ittihad, the club has announced.
The 32-year-old midfielder came to Stamford Bridge from Leicester in 2016 and has since won the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup.
He came to England from Caen in 2015, barely two years after playing in the French fourth division, and was a crucial component of the Foxes' unexpected title victory under Claudio Ranieri.
N'Golo's impact and influence during his time at Chelsea cannot be understated, according to Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, who made the statement to the club website. His continuous efforts in the middle of the field helped the team win multiple trophies and cemented his legacy inside the organization.
We send him our best wishes as he begins the next phase of his career.
Injury derailed his final year with the club. He underwent hamstring surgery in October but wasn't available to Graham Potter until March, appearing in just seven Premier League games overall.
He is the first significant departure since Mauricio Pochettino was named the club's new manager, with the Argentinean prioritizing shrinking the club's overcrowded first-team roster.
Kante is the most recent high-profile player to join the Saudi Professional League after winning the World Cup with France in Russia in 2018.
After 14 seasons at Real Madrid, his international teammate Karim Benzema has already decided to join Al-Ittihad, following Cristiano Ronaldo, who in December transferred from Manchester United to Al Nassr.
Al Hilal is reportedly interested in signing Wolves captain Ruben Neves for £47 million, and the club is likely to make the announcement this week.
He will be the biggest name to go from a European club for Saudi Arabia at the age of 26.
Additionally connected with moves to the Gulf state are Chelsea exiles Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Romelu Lukaku, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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