Youssef En-Nesyri has completed his move from Fenerbahçe to Al Ittihad, with the Saudi club paying a reported €15 million for the Morocco international. The deal was finalised during the winter transfer window and confirmed on 3 February 2026, with En-Nesyri signing a contract that runs to the summer of 2028. The move was closely tied to N'Golo Kanté's departure from Al Ittihad to Fenerbahçe in the opposite direction, with the two clubs completing their business within days of each other.
Al Ittihad moved for En-Nesyri because they needed a recognised centre-forward after Karim Benzema's exit to Al-Hilal left them short up front for the second half of the season. The 28-year-old fit the profile they were after: a physical, experienced number nine with a proven scoring record in Europe and a big-game pedigree, having led Morocco's forward line during their run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals. With few alternatives available in the winter market, En-Nesyri was the standout option and the deal was pushed through before Saudi Arabia's transfer deadline, despite some late paperwork delays on the Al Ittihad side.
For Fenerbahçe, it means losing a striker who had been their main source of goals in the first half of the season, even as his relationship with sections of the club's support had cooled. En-Nesyri had made clear to the club's hierarchy that he was uncomfortable with the criticism he was receiving from some fans and wanted to leave in the winter window, and Fenerbahçe ultimately sanctioned the sale rather than keep an unsettled player. His exit leaves Domenico Tedesco with a gap at centre-forward to fill for the rest of the campaign.
En-Nesyri had been in good form before the move. He had six goals from ten league starts by late October, including a brace against Gaziantep that took only 21 minutes, and had been Fenerbahçe's top scorer for the season at that point. That output, on top of his goalscoring contribution to the club's run to the 2023 Europa League final and a domestic double the following season, made him one of the more sought-after strikers to become available mid-season.
At Al Ittihad, expect En-Nesyri to slot in as the focal point of the attack, using his height and movement in the box to get on the end of crosses and through-balls in a Saudi Pro League that has become increasingly competitive at the top. He arrives with the experience of scoring at the highest level, including his winning header for Morocco against Portugal at the 2022 World Cup, and Al Ittihad will be looking for him to translate that into goals as they compete domestically for the rest of the season and beyond, under a contract that ties him to the club for two and a half years.