Kante joins Benzema at Al-Ittihad on 3-year deal as Saudi Arabia entices another star player

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

Saudi Arabian soccer champion Al-Ittihad has another high-profile French player to accompany Karim Benzema at the team next season. N’Golo Kante has completed his move on a three-year deal after leaving Chelsea. Al-Ittihad welcomed the 32-year-old midfielder with a series of tweets containing the hashtag “WelcomeBox2Box.” That refers to Kante’s hard-running style of play. He will reportedly earn more than $100 million across the length of a four-year deal at a club based in Jeddah and coached by former Tottenham and Wolverhampton manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Ittihad recently won the Saudi league ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.