N’Golo Kante has told Al-Ittihad he has happy to stay at the club after West Ham tried to sign him, according to Ben Jacobs.
The talkSPORT journalist reported via X on 21 July that the former Chelsea star has communicated his satisfaction to remain in the Saudi Pro League after the Irons had a £15million bid rejected.
Al-Ittihad now don’t want to sell despite The Guardian initially reporting on 18 July that there was a “willingness on both sides” of transfer talks over the midfielder.
Kanté’s agent had reportedly been offering the 33-year-old to London-based Premier League clubs [HITC, 19 July] and while he was said to be open to the prospect there hasn’t been any indication he was agitating to leave.
Chelsea legend looks out of reach for West Ham
Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten were both apparently on board with a push to sign Kanté despite it seemingly not fitting the profile of their other targets in any way.
At the same time players of the quality the Frenchman has don’t come along too often even if he may be past his best and carries some injury concerns.
He proved in six starts at Euro 2024 that he wasn’t too far from the peak of his powers still as he was branded “absolutely outstanding” by Gary Neville [ITV, 17 July] for his impressive form.
For a player of his profile it was worth investigating even if the chances were slim but there is still little time to lose on other business with preseason well under way for Lopetegui and plenty of new arrivals still needed so fans will hope it hasn’t distracted too much from other pursuits.
In other West Ham news, a club has now been knocked out of the race to sign a senior Irons ace as personal terms are way out of their reach.
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has urged his former side to hijack West Ham’s move for N’Golo Kante this summer.
The French midfielder impressed during Euro 2024 and he’s since been linked with a return to the Premier League with West Ham.
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Kante joined Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad last summer on a free transfer upon his contract at Stamford Bridge expiring.
Like many of the superstars who have moved to Saudi Arabia, Kante is currently on a very lucrative contract. As per Capology, he currently earns £404,000 per week and is the seventh highest-paid player in the league.
West Ham have reportedly opened talks with Al Ittihad over a potential move for the French international, although an agreement has
According to David Ornstein, West Ham had a verbal £15m offer rejected by Al Ittihad who are thought to be holding out for over £25m for the French international.
Kante’s lucrative wages could also be another potential snag in the deal as West Ham are unlikely to match what he’s currently earning in Saudi Arabia.
The Hammers remain interested in the 33-year-old, but as of writing, no agreement has been reached between both sides.
With West Ham yet to strike a deal for Kante, Leboeuf thinks that Chelsea should consider re-signing the French star.
