Kanté Transfer Saga Reignites: Al-Ittihad and Fenerbahce Restart Talks Amid Paperwork Snags

Update on Kanté transfer saga

It seems the transfer of N'Golo Kanté, the heartbeat of Al-Ittihad, to Fenerbahce is not dead and could be completed in the coming hours.

While Kanté was on his way to Fenerbahce in the past hours, a deal that would have seen Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri move to Al-Ittihad was announced as failed by the Turkish club, due to procedural errors.

Fenerbahce stated in an official release earlier today that because Al-Ittihad submitted Transfer Management System (TMS) data incorrectly, the registrations could not be completed within the window, regardless of their side.

We asked for an extension, held talks with FIFA, and took every necessary step to resolve the issue. Yet, the rival club offered no justification, and the deals remain unresolved.

On his side, journalist Ben Jacobs wrote on X that Kanté refused to train with Al-Ittihad today, as he seeks to leave the squad during the winter window.

Santi Ona noted negotiations are expected to resume in the next hours to complete Kanté’s move.

According to him, Kanté had already reached a contractual agreement with the Turkish club.

Although the January window closed in Saudi Arabia on Monday night, the Turkish window remains open until Thursday, leaving a window for Kanté to join Fenerbahce.

For Kanté, the move remains on the cards, with talks expected to resume as both clubs chase a solution.

Punchline 1: If this deal bounces again, Kanté could become a professional paperwork interceptor.

Punchline 2: At this rate, the only thing Kanté will score is a stamp collection from FIFA.