Al Ittihad are confident of landing N’Golo Kante from Chelsea in less than 24 hours.
Kante had been in negotiations with the Blues over a deal to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino keen to retain his services.
The France international has been a mainstay of in the successful Chelsea sides which have won a series of major honours under a succession of different managers since his arrival from Leicester seven years ago.
His influence has, however, waned over the course of the last 18 months with injuries beginning to take their toll.
Indeed, Kante was forced to miss last December’s World Cup and was restricted to just nine appearances for Chelsea last season.
Despite the question marks over his durability, Chelsea had hoped to agree an extension to a contract that was due to expire next summer, but the offer of a two-year deal worth £172million from Al Ittihad has turned Kante’s head and he is, according to Fabrizio Romano, set to complete his move imminently.
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious recruitment drive has already seen the likes of Karim Benzema join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Pro League and Romelu Lukaku is reportedly keen on following suit.