05.02.2026 09:44
The transfer of N'Golo Kante was resolved after reaching a cancellation point, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan telling Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "Let's finalize this, it's the last day of the transfer, how can we find a solution?" and Fenerbahçe added the French star to their squad.
The behind-the-scenes details of Fenerbahçe's biggest move during the mid-season transfer period, the transfer of N'Golo Kanté, which is in the championship race with Galatasaray in the Super League, have become clear. The deadlock in the transfer, which was on the verge of cancellation, was resolved by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's intervention.
IT WAS SAID THE TRANSFER WAS CANCELLED
Fenerbahçe announced on its official site that the transfer could not take place due to issues regarding the swap of Kanté with Youssef En-Nesyri, and apologized to the fans for the disappointment. After this announcement, it was thought that the Kanté transfer was completely shelved.
ERDOĞAN'S VISIT TO SAUDI ARABIA BECAME A TURNING POINT
According to a report by Sabah, the process stalled due to Al-Ittihad Club's incorrect entry of transfer information into the FIFA TMS system. The situation was communicated by the Fenerbahçe management to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Aşkın Bak. Bak's efforts with the Saudi Sports Minister were unsuccessful.
"LET'S FINISH THIS JOB" WORDS CHANGED EVERYTHING
During the inter-delegation meetings, Minister Osman Aşkın Bak conveyed the issue to President Erdoğan. After Erdoğan's question, "Yes, I am following it too. What is the latest situation?" it was stated that it was the last day of the transfer and that a notification needed to be made to FIFA. Following this, President Erdoğan communicated the situation to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the words, "Let's finish this job. It is the last day of the transfer, what kind of solution can we produce?"
INSTRUCTION FROM PRINCE SALMAN, TRANSFER COMPLETED
After President Erdoğan's request, the process was re-evaluated by Al-Ittihad Club and the Saudi Football Federation with the instruction given by Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Following this development, Fenerbahçe reached a happy ending in the N'Golo Kanté transfer.
THANK YOU MESSAGE FROM SADETTIN SARAN
After the completion of the transfer, Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran issued a statement thanking President Erdoğan. Saran emphasized that Erdoğan's support played a critical role in the positive outcome of the process, while also stating that the belief and support of the fans were the greatest source of strength.
THE COST OF THE TRANSFER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED
In a statement made by the yellow-navy blue club to KAP, the financial details of the Kanté transfer were also shared. Accordingly, Fenerbahçe will pay a signing fee of 14 million 400 thousand euros for the French star. Kanté will receive 5 million 500 thousand euros for the 2025-2026 season, and for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 seasons, he will be paid 11 million euros per season.