Mercato: By joining Benzema in Saudi Arabia, N’Golo Kante is likely saying goodbye to the Blues

It was June 3, 2022. Just a year ago. But today, in light of recent events, that seems far off. N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema were then linked with the Blues for the seventh time during an insipid 1-2 defeat to Denmark in the Nations League. We did not know this yet, but we witnessed their last joint performance as part of the French national team. A few months later, on December 19 exactly, the 2022 Ballon d’Or announced the end of his international career as the injury-laden little midfielder left the pitch, his favorite space for self-expression.

In an unexpected rebound, the two men will resume the thread of their brief common history thousands of miles from the Dionysian fence. More precisely, in the city of Jeddah, the stronghold of Al Ittihad, the winner of the last Saudi Arabian championship ahead of Al Nasr, where the second should join the first, according to an internal source at the club, quoted by AFP, clarifies-t- a fabulous three year contract.

He has maintained a good rating in the transfer market

A few weeks ago, such an outcome was almost out of place for Kante. After months of absence due to a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, the lightweight Chelsea, now 32, signed their return to the Premier League on April 1 against Aston Villa (0-2).

He then unreservedly participated in a double tie, lost against Real Madrid by one Benzema in the Champions League (0-2, 0-2) and amassed four new league appearances before being betrayed, once again, due to his physique , injuring his groin during a simple workout on May 12. This latest setback confirmed his premature end to the season and robbed him of his chances of being selected by Didier Deschamps for the June Euro 2024 qualifiers.

However, the 2018 World Champion has maintained a good rating on the transfer market at the end of his contract with the Blues on June 30. Several European clubs such as Barcelona or Arsenal have even included him on their list. When asked about its future, the main stakeholder decided back in mid-May. He confirmed his commitment to the club he joined in the summer of 2016, where he played 269 games (scoring 14 goals) and reached the pinnacle of his career in 2021 with a C1 win at Manchester City’s 1-0 win. .

Likely end of his international career

” Yes, sure. This is an exciting project for a club with visiting players,” he told Sky Sport. Unfortunately the season is not up to Chelsea standards but everyone wants to follow the path of success by winning titles. I hope this club will take this direction again. Let’s see where I will be, but I hope that this is the direction of the club, and this is the most important thing. ».

According to the English press, Kante, who holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from BTS and is a practicing Muslim, was about to extend his contract for two years, which was scheduled in March. Disregarding the interests of the big European teams, he also seemed to prioritize a certain amount of stability and thus return to 100% of his funds in a familiar environment where he navigated. In fact, the choice of a new destination could have turned out to be more random, knowing that, according to his relatives, he still has the French team in mind, including next year’s Euro 2024.

On Tuesday, the player’s entourage suggested that he had not stopped in his decision regarding his future, and we did not rule out that we would see him stretch out his London adventure. The last hours no doubt convinced him to make this 180-degree turn, which, by the way, should close the selection doors (53 covers). A bit like the trajectory of Blaise Matuidi, who left for Inter Miami in the MLS in August 2020 and never showed up again after that with a rooster-knocked shirt.