Saudi Arabian soccer champions Ittihad will have another high-profile French player alongside Karim Benzema next season.
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N’Golo Kante completed a three-year move on Wednesday after leaving Chelsea, with the Ittihad welcoming the 32-year-old midfielder in a series of tweets containing the hashtag “WelcomeBox2Box” – referring to The most important thing is his hardworking style. play.
During the term of his contract, he will reportedly earn money at a Jeddah-based club managed by former Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Over $100 million in revenue. It recently won the Saudi league ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
Kante, who won the 2018 World Cup with France, the 2021 UEFA Champions League with Chelsea and back-to-back titles with Leicester City and Chelsea, is one of the best players in the Premier League in recent years . Injuries over the past two seasons.
That hasn’t stopped Ittihad from spending heavily on Kante, bringing in Benzema a few weeks ago after his contract expired at Real Madrid.
“This is part of the club’s efforts to establish itself as the first choice for world-class players in the Saudi Pro League,” Ittihad said.
Despite the end of their careers, big names are still attracted to the Saudi league, where spending has been spurred by the Saudi sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund’s takeover of majority stakes in four of the country’s top clubs. , including Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr. The move is part of a nationalization program to encourage public sector organizations to invest in sports, with football teams a priority under an initiative backed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Another of those four teams, Al Hilal, tried to acquire Lionel Messi, but the Argentine World Cup winner decided to join the US international Miami.
A number of key players have been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this European off-season, including Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.
(Associated Press)