Kanté could return to the Premier League next season

French midfielder N’golo Kante could return to the league where he has enjoyed the most success in his career next season, with the 33-year-old, who plays for Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, being of interest to Premier League side West Ham.

According to The AthleticWest Ham had a verbal proposal rejected by the Saudis last Thursday. The offer of 15 million pounds (around R$108.5 million at the current exchange rate) did not please the board of Al Ittihad, who would only consider a value above 25 million pounds (around R$180 million).

🚨 West Ham ~£15m verbal bid for N’Golo Kante rejected by Al Ittihad last night. #WHUFC interest remains but #AlIttihad have no intention of selling; would take £25m+ to even consider. 33yo France midfielder happy + club/#SPL counting on him @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/BPb8jmEIfv

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 19, 2024

The English club’s most difficult task will be to convince Kanté to leave Al Ittihad, where he has a contract until 2026 and is one of the highest-paid athletes in the Saudi League. The same source says that the player is happy at his current club, which is also not interested in him leaving.

Kanté was one of France’s standout players at the last European Championship. Despite the team being eliminated by champions Spain in the semi-finals, he started every match and stood out as one of the best in his position in the tournament.

The Frenchman arrived in Saudi Arabia in 2023 after seven seasons as a Chelsea player. Before that, he had already represented Leicester City for one season. In the Premier League, Kanté has 227 appearances and two league titles, including Leicester’s historic 2015/16 campaign.

The midfielder stood out particularly in France’s 2018 World Cup title campaigns and Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2021.