Saudi club Al Ittihad sign Kanté to play with Benzema

Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad have signed Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kanté on a three-year deal, the country's champions said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old links up with former France team-mate Karim Benzema, who recently joined the Saudi side from Real Madrid. Benzema put out a video message via the club welcoming Kanté, who said "I'm very pleased to play with you, with the best player in the world."

Saudi Arabia is suddenly ploughing cash into football after a Saudi group bought England's Newcastle United and teams brought in well-known European players including icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kanté won a Premier League title each with Leicester City and Chelsea as well as the Champions League with the Londoners and the 2018 World Cup with France.