FRENCH midfielder N’Golo Kante has agreed to sign a three-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad.
He will earn a staggering $213.8 million from the agreement during that period. At his new club, the World Cup winner will team up with fellow French player and former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
Kante, 32, underwent a full medical before the contract was signed, a source said on condition of anonymity, not being authorised to make the information public.
The departing Chelsea player, who lifted the 2018 World Cup in Russia, has a history of injuries and missed six months of this season with a hamstring problem.
The oil-rich Gulf monarchy has recently been busy buying up a swathe of players for its domestic Saudi Pro League.
On Tuesday Benzema, the 35-year-old French Ballon d’Or-winner, was confirmed as a major signing for Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad, also on a three-year contract.
The latest signings come after Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr in January in a deal said to be worth more than 400 million euros.
Benzema, Kante and Argentine great Lionel Messi are on a list of 10 targets who have been contacted by Saudi officials, a source close to the negotiations told AFP this week.
Eighteen-Eleven Media