Chelsea get Romano ‘HERE WE GO’ on first major summer transfer

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 7 Jun 2023 18:52 BST
• 3 min read

N’Golo Kante could be the first big name to leave Chelsea this summer, having agreed to join Saudi champions Al-Ittihad.

The combative midfielder – a 2018 World Cup winner with France – has spent the past seven years with the Blues but will become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of this month.

It had previously been suggested that Kante, 32, would stay in the Premier League – with Manchester United and Arsenal both touted as potential destinations – but instead, the Saudi Pro League looks set to gain its latest star from Europe’s top five leagues.

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According to Fabrizio Romano, Kante underwent a medical in London and will sign a two-year deal with Al-Ittihad.

Romano adds that the former Leicester City man – who won the Premier League title in back-to-back campaigns with Leicester then Chelsea – stands to earn a whopping €100m a season in Saudi Arabia, once extras such as image rights are taken into account.

There appears to be an increasingly strong effort from the Gulf state to bring prominent players to their top flight – where Cristiano Ronaldo has been with Al-Nassr since January.

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A surge of superstars in Saudi Arabia

Al-Ittihad have just completed the hugely significant signing of Kante’s international teammate Karim Benzema from Real Madrid – while there have also been rumours of Sergio Ramos, Son Heung-min and Roberto Firmino, among others, heading to the league.

Under the management of former Tottenham and Porto boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Al-Ittihad recently secured their first domestic title in 14 years – and their ninth overall – finishing the 2022/23 campaign five points clear of Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

Kante will depart Chelsea having made 269 appearances for the club – with whom he won six trophies, including the Champions League in 2020/21.