Abdoulaye Kante has completed a loan move to Saint Etienne from Middlesbrough. The loan deal includes an option for Saint Etienne to make the move permanent in the summer. Loic Perrin, sporting director of Saint Etienne, said that Abdoulaye is a player the club have been following for some time, and that contact dates back several months. Saint Etienne’s capability to sign Kante permanently in the summer is understood to be likely dependent on them winning promotion.

Middlesbrough defensive midfielder Abdoulaye Kanté, 20, will be on loan at Saint-Étienne for the rest of the season. The Ivory Coast U23 international transferred to Middlesbrough from the French club Troyes last summer for a fee reported to be €3.0M and signed a five-year deal. He made five appearances for the English side, including one start in a Championship match, all of which occurred under the management of Rob Edwards. Kanté has not played since Kim Hellberg became head coach, and he also underwent surgery in the autumn for a sports hernia injury. He joins a Saint-Étienne team that is fifth in France's Ligue 2. His current market value is €3.00m, according to Transfermarkt.