Kante twist! Chelsea given hope as Ronaldo’s club enters ‘serious fight’

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 9 Jun 2023 10:41 BST
• 2 min read

Chelsea star N’Golo Kante has been hotly linked with a move to follow fellow France international star Karim Benzema to Saudi Pro-League side Al-Ittihad, but a deal may not be as close as previously though.

Kante, who is out of contract at the end of June, and can therefore leave on a free transfer, is at liberty to decide his own future, having failed to agree terms with the Blues, reportedly because they are not willing to offer him a multi-year deal.

The 32-year-old, it has been claimed, has been offered a lucrative two-year deal worth €100 million per season in Saudi Arabia, with Fabrizio Romano even claiming everything was in place.

According to a report from FootMercato, Kante “is still far” from having signed that contract with Al-Ittihad, though. It is claimed there is no agreement with the Pro-League club.

Kante to team up with Ronaldo?

While this might open the door for Chelsea to restart negotiations with the 2018 World Cup winner, whose last year has been decimated by injury problems, a greater likelihood is that Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr come into the picture to sign the midfield veteran.

FootMercato reports that Ronaldo’s club have already made clear that they want the industrious midfielder to team up with the Portuguese legend.

Moving to Saudi Arabia could prove attractive for Kante for some of the reasons that Benzema has revealed were key for him – particularly as the midfielder is known as being devout to his religion.

“Why Saudi Arabia? It's different from Europe but I've been to Saudi Arabia before. Above all, it's a Muslim country, which is beautiful, and that's where I want to be. It is important to be in a Muslim country where I already feel that people love me, it will allow me to have a new life,” Benzema explained.

“I am lucky to be in Saudi Arabia, Mecca is close. I'm a believer, so it's important to me.”

Benzema is the only major star to have committed himself to the Saudi Pro League so far this summer, but others such as Kante, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have been linked with moves.