ISTANBUL (AP) — The transfer of World Cup winner N’Golo Kanté to Fenerbahce collapsed and the Turkish club blames Al-Ittihad.
Fenerbahce said the deal involved a player swap — Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri was expected to join Al-Ittihad — and could not be completed on Monday due to administrative errors made by the Saudi Arabia club.
“Due to incorrect entry of the relevant TMS (Transfer Matching System) information by the opposing club, the procedures could not be completed within the transfer registration period, for reasons independent of our club,” Fenerbahce said, adding it paid “meticulous attention to every detail.”
The use of the FIFA TMS is compulsory for all international transfers.
“An extension was requested, the necessary discussions were held by our club with FIFA, and all steps were taken to resolve the process," Fenerbahce added. "Despite this, during the ongoing process, the opposing club failed to complete the procedures without providing any justification to us.”
The 34-year-old Kanté, who joined Al-Ittihad in 2023, recently returned to the France team and made his 65th appearance for Les Bleus in November in a 4-0 win against Ukraine.
Fenerbahce is chasing its first Turkish league title in 12 years. In the transfer window it recruited another France international, midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, who hopes to reclaim a place in the national squad ahead of the World Cup.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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