French midfielder N’Golo Kante has bought Belgian third-tier side Royal Excelsior Virton, the club announced on Thursday.
Virton stated that all this time, they were indeed looking for a new owner in order to overcome the problems the club was currently facing.
Virton are currently at odds with the Belgian Football Federation (URBSFA) who have not granted them a professional license. The case started in 2020 and is still ongoing.
“From this unfair episode, it is clear that the search for partners, even buyers, is more than just options. The initial project has already been solved. The aim is to ensure the future of the club and also breathe new life,” wrote a statement from Virton.
The club announced current owner Flavio Becca’s decision to sell the club to Kante, who recently completed a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad, and confirmed the former Chelsea midfielder will take the reins on July 1.
The statement said: “Flavio is obviously very happy to hand over the keys to the club to N’Golo Kante, a top class player, not only for his footballing qualities but also and especially for his widely acclaimed human qualities.
“Driven by his passion for football, N’Golo Kante wants to continue assembling the club in order to consolidate its foundation, stabilize its staff and ultimately reconnect with the traditions of coaching the RE Virton Youth Academy.”
“The club aims to build on its local roots to become a driving force for football in Gaume and in the province of Luxembourg.”
Virton suffered relegation from the second division last season and will play in the third tier of Belgian football in 2023-24.
Apart from that, Virton also emphasized that Flavio did not leave any jungle for Kante. Later, a new board of directors will be formed.
There was no statement from Virton regarding how much money Kante would need to spend to make this purchase.
However, as is known, the former Leicester City player has just received a large income after moving from Chelsea to Al Ittihad.
Reportedly, the energetic midfielder earned a salary of up to 100 million euros for three years.
Virton’s takeover of Kante comes the same week as Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, and rapper Stormzy’s, who bought ninth-tier English football team Croydon Athletic.
