Furious N’Golo Kante refuses to train as he attempts to push through transfer

N’Golo Kante refused to take part in training for Al Ittihad on Tuesday in the hope of forcing through a move to Fenerbahce.

The 34-year-old was expected to move to the Turkish giants earlier this week with the club’s having agreed a fee prior to the transfer being blocked by FIFA.

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Kante, whose contract with the Saudi Pro League club expires this summer, had already agreed terms with Fenerbahce.

Deal blocked

However, the Turkish outfit claimed an administrative error by Al Ittihad saw the deal collapse just as Kante was preparing to fly to Istanbul to tie up the deal.

The error also saw Youssef En-Nesyri’s move in the opposite direction scuppered with the Fenerbahce striker part of a transfer swap deal with the French World Cup winner.

It is understood that the deal would have involved a transfer fee of £3million.

The Turkish Super Lig club have since laid the finger of blame at Al Ittihad and it now appears that Kante shares the same sentiment.

talkSPORT understands the ex-Chelsea star failed to take part in training on Tuesday in the hope that the deal can be resurrected ahead of Friday’s Turkish transfer deadline.

Meanwhile, a Fenerbahce statement claimed they had followed all correct procedures to secure the Frenchman.

It read: “The transfer process involving N’Golo Kante and Youssef En-Nesyri with Al Ittihad Club has been meticulously conducted by our club in all aspects, as planned.

“The opposing club’s incorrect entry of the relevant TMS information, the transactions could not be completed within the transfer registration period, independently of our club.

“The opposing club has not completed the transactions without providing any justification to us.”

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A potential exit would prove to be a major blow to Al Ittihad, who recently failed in the attempts to sign exciting Portuguese midfielder Gustavo Sa from Famalicao.

An exodus of star names

The Saudi side are already reeling after losing striker Karim Benzema to title rivals Al Hilal in a move that infuriated Cristiano Ronaldo, while being unable to bring in any new faces.

Losing Kante would serve as another huge blow and all but end their hopes of qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite.

The midfielder joined Al Ittihad in 2023 when his contract with Chelsea had expired.

Initially, his move to the Middle East had no bearing on his international career with Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps having selected Kante for Euro 2024.

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Kante featured in every game for France in their run to the semi-finals where they were beaten by eventual winners Spain.

However, Kante played just once for Les Bleus in 2025, featuring against Ukraine in November.