Hapoel Beer Sheva have officially confirmed that Kings Kangwa is leaving for Panathinaikos, ending months of speculation over the Zambian playmaker's future and delivering the club a windfall as they push for a domestic title defence and a run in Europe.

The Greek club will pay in the region of €3.8 million up front, with add-ons that ONE reports could push the total package to about €4.5 million once bonuses are triggered. It is comfortably the biggest sale in the Israeli club's recent history.

Kangwa will stay with Beer Sheva just long enough to play the return leg of their Champions League qualifying tie against Icelandic champions Vikingur Reykjavik, before flying to Greece for a medical and to put pen to paper on his contract, according to Ynet.

Under UEFA registration rules, he will not be eligible to appear for Panathinaikos until the competition reaches its group stage, so the Greeks are banking on a slower burn rather than an instant impact.

The move came together only after Panathinaikos saw off competition from fellow Greek side AEK Athens, who had also tabled roughly €4 million for the 27-year-old but wanted him to report immediately. Beer Sheva, weighing up their own European fixture list, prioritised the buyer willing to wait.

Kangwa's stock has never been higher. He was named the Israeli Premier League's Best Player of the Season last term, finishing with 12 goals and 9 assists in 21 league appearances and topping the division for successful key passes per 90 minutes, per ONE's reporting on his campaign.

That form underpinned Beer Sheva's title triumph, the club's first championship in eight years, with Kangwa directly involved in roughly a quarter of the team's league goals along the way.

A 43-cap Zambia international, Kangwa arrived in Israel after two spells in eastern Europe, including a run at Red Star Belgrade where he won back-to-back domestic doubles before his move to Beer Sheva.

Greek outlets have already previewed what Panathinaikos are getting: an attacking midfielder capable of what local media there describe as bursting into space and creating chances for teammates in the final third, rather than a pure goalscorer.

For Beer Sheva, the immediate priority remains sporting rather than financial — closing out the tie against Vikingur Reykjavik, in which Kangwa scored their goal in a 2-1 first-leg defeat, before waving off their star man to Athens.