Fenerbahçe blame Al Ittihad as Kanté move collapses

• N’Golo Kanté’s planned move from Al Ittihad to Fenerbahçe fell through after what the Turkish club described as transfer system errors on Al Ittihad’s side.
• The deal was linked to a proposed swap, with Youssef En Nesyri moving the other way, but both transfers collapsed after the Saudi window shut.
• Fenerbahce said they tried to fix the issue with FIFA, but claimed Al Ittihad still failed to complete the process.

Fenerbahce said N’Golo Kanté’s transfer from Al Ittihad has collapsed because the Saudi club did not complete the required transfer registration steps before their deadline.

Kanté had been lined up for a move to Türkiye, with Fenerbahce’s Youssef En Nesyri expected to move in the opposite direction, but both transfers failed to go through.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Fenerbahce blamed administrative mistakes made by Al Ittihad, pointing to issues in the FIFA Transfer Matching System.

“Due to incorrect entry of the relevant TMS (Transfer Matching System) information by the opposing club, the procedures could not be completed within the transfer registration period, for reasons independent of our club,” Fenerbahce said, adding it paid “meticulous attention to every detail.”

Fenerbahce said they attempted to keep the deal alive after the deadline pressure, but claimed Al Ittihad still did not finalise the paperwork.

“An extension was requested, the necessary discussions were held by our club with FIFA, and all steps were taken to resolve the process,” Fenerbahce added. “Despite this, during the ongoing process, the opposing club failed to complete the procedures without providing any justification to us.”

The FIFA TMS is mandatory for international transfers, and the timing mattered because the Saudi transfer window had already closed, while the Turkish window remains open until Friday, 6 February.

Kanté, 34, joined Al Ittihad in 2023 and has recently returned to the France national team, earning his 65th cap in November in a 4-0 win over Ukraine.

Fenerbahce are chasing their first Turkish league title in 12 years and have added another France international this window, midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, as they build towards the World Cup picture.

With the Kanté deal now off, he will remain at Al Ittihad. Karim Benzema, however, has left Al Ittihad to join Al Hilal.