After several days of 'soap opera', midfielder N'Golo Kanté was officially announced by Fenerbahçe, in Türkiye. Kanté signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Turkish club. The player arrives on a free transfer to Fenerbahçe, as Kanté ended his contract with Saudi side Al Ittihad, where he was coached by Sérgio Conceição. The market in Türkiye is open until February 6th. «We are very happy to have added one of the best midfielders in the world to our squad. N'golo won almost all the important trophies throughout his career, including the World Cup and the Champions League", writes Fenerbahçe on the official website. Kanté, the club's new number 17, arrives after administrative problems that almost ruined the transfer. These problems even motivated a caustic statement from the Turks towards Al Ittihad. Youssef En-Nesyri took the opposite path and signed for the Saudis. Welcome to our family N'Golo Kanté 💛💙🔗 https://t.co/mNQFegrdlp pic.twitter.com/dQTQ6x5Bpv — Fenerbahçe SK (@Fenerbahce) February 4, 2026