N’Golo Kante’s ex-agent claims Chelsea star owes him over £3m as bitter legal battle over image rights rumbles on

THE former agent of N’Golo Kante has claimed the Chelsea star owes him over £3million as their bitter legal battle over image rights rumbles on. Nouari Khiari has slammed the French midfielder, 28, for refusing to pay monies owed to him – after Kante himself filed a complaint against his former image agent. The Chelsea […]

THE former agent of N’Golo Kante has claimed the Chelsea star owes him over £3million as their bitter legal battle over image rights rumbles on.

Nouari Khiari has slammed the French midfielder, 28, for refusing to pay monies owed to him – after Kante himself filed a complaint against his former image agent.

Reuters

The Chelsea midfielder accused Khiari of “breach of trust” and “illegal exercise of the profession of sports agent” last November after their relationship turned sour.

Kante is said to have been unhappy with Khiari’s services and offered him £125,000 – and later £250,000 – to part ways.

But Khiari hit back saying he refused to accept that as he was owed “ten times” that amount thanks to a deal signed with adidas.

Kante later claimed his ex-agent “exerted pressure to obtain more money”.

Khiari has now told L’Equipe: “A conciliation was started but, very quickly, I understood that I was taken for a charlot [joker].

“Last November, N’Golo signed a new contract with adidas who wanted to make a deal, as with Paul Pogba.

“This is a five-year contract for €15million (£12.5m). My fees should have been €3.75m (£3.1m).

“When I met N’Golo Kante’s lawyer, Nadia Zrari, I was offered €50,000 (£41,600) to end my business provider contract.

“I was shocked. I was then offered €150,000 (£125,000) then €300,000 (£250,000).

“I refused because he owed me ten times more. Either they don’t owe me anything or I get paid what I am owed.

“By signing this contract without me, adidas breached the contract that binds me to the player.”

Khiari also opened up over Kante’s claims he’d been brought an offer to endorse a betting company – with the agent strongly denying it.

He continued: “He claimed I brought him a betting company offer.

“To be clear, it was an offer from “la Française des Jeux” for a campaign that warns of the perils of betting and discourages people from doing so, not promoting it.”

Last November, Khiari revealed he had received death threats from the agent of Kante, Abdelkarim Douis.

Khiari claimed Douis told him he had “teams” of “Russians and Albanians whom I pay to smoke whom I want.”