N'Golo Kante is now officially the owner of a club, completes takeover

N'Golo Kante is now an owner of a football club, having completed a takeover of a third division side.

The 32-year-old will join Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad on July 1 upon the expiration of his Chelsea contract.

And that date will also mark the World Cup winner's first day in charge of a football team.

Kante has purchased Belgian third-tier club Royal Excelsior Virton - an outfit based near the Luxembourg border.

He will take over from Flavio Becca as chairman, with the club releasing a statement after the purchase.

"Flavio is obviously extremely happy to be able to hand over the keys of the club to N'Golo Kante," the statement reads.

"[He is] a player of great class, not only for his footballing qualities but also and above all for his unanimously recognised human qualities."

Excelsior Virton will play in the Belgian National Division 1 in the 2023/24 season.

It's two leagues below the country's top flight, the Belgian Pro League, which includes the likes of Gent, Genk, Club Brugge and Standard Liege, among others.

The club claims to be debt free while a board of directors will be set up.

No details have been released on whether the Frenchman has paid a fee to complete the take over.

Kante, who has won the Premier League title at Leicester City and Chelsea, will leave the Premier League and ply his trade in the Saudi Pro League.

He's signed a lucrative deal at Al-Ittihad and will team up with Karim Benzema, who also penned a monstrous deal following his Real Madrid exit.