Saudi money is all over Europe.
Fabrizio Romano, who is known as a European transfer market expert working for Britain’s ‘Guardian’ and other publications, said on the 19th (Korean time) on his personal social media, “N’Golo Kante has completed his final medical test at Al Ittihad. An official announcement is expected in the next few hours. An era with Chelsea is coming to an end,” he said, adding that Kante will leave Europe to join Saudi Arabia.메이저놀이터
Kante is a legendary player who was once considered one of the best midfielders in the world. Along with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, he was one of the key contributors to Leicester City’s historic English Premier League (EPL) title in 2015-16.
Kante joined Chelsea shortly thereafter, and his form continued. He formed an excellent partnership with Nemanja Matic to lead Chelsea to the 2016-17 EPL title. Kante went on to play a key role in Chelsea’s 2018-19 UEFA Europa League (UEL) title and 2020-21 UEFA Champions League (UCL) title.
With France, he won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and the UEFA Nations League (UNL) in 2020-21. Although he has been plagued by injuries for the past two years, Kante is still a player to reckon with on the pitch. But Kante couldn’t resist the lure of Saudi Arabia.
In addition, top EPL midfielder Ousmane Nebes has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. On the 18th, the British ‘The Athletic’ reported, “Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal have reached an agreement to sign Neves for a transfer fee of 55 million euros (about KRW 769 billion). Wolverhampton are keen for the deal to be finalized quickly. Al-Hilal and Neves are negotiating personal terms,” the report said.
Touted as a huge prospect from a young age, Neves has progressed through Portugal’s age-group squads. He made a bold move to Wolverhampton, where he began to prove himself as the club won promotion to the EPL. In the EPL, Neves’ performances were consistent. He’s a versatile player with excellent mid- to long-range passing, game coordination, and a powerful shot.
Neves expressed his desire to move to a better club than Wolverhampton this summer, but it appears he ultimately opted for Saudi Arabia. Barcelona also wanted Neves, but negotiations stalled due to the club’s financial problems. In the meantime, the Saudis lured him with money, and he took them up on it.
Aside from Kante and Neves, the Saudis are also targeting players who have made their mark on the European scene, including Mahrez, Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.