Al Hilal in talks to sign N'Golo Kante from Al Ittihad on short-term loan deal for Club World Cup
Al Hilal are in talks to sign N'Golo Kante on a short-term loan deal from fellow Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad for the Club World Cup.
An agreement has not yet been reached but there is optimism that a deal can be done.
Al Hilal and Al Ittihad are controlled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which took control of both clubs, as well as Al Nassr and Al Ahli ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window.
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Al Hilal are the only Saudi Arabian side at the expanded Club World Cup in the United States this summer, having qualified as the winners of the 2021 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
Former Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi was confirmed as their new head coach last week, while their squad contains several former stars of European football including Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Kante's former Chelsea team-mate Kalidou Koulibaly.
Kante, 34, joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer from Chelsea in July 2023. He has played 81 times for them and was part of the SPL title-winning team this past season, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Al Hilal.
The Frenchman joined Chelsea from Leicester City for £30million in the summer of 2016, having just played a large role in the East Midlands club winning their first-ever Premier League title. In his seven years at Chelsea, Kante was recognised as one of the best midfielders in the world and won the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup with the club, making 269 appearances.
Al Hilal begin their Club World Cup campaign against Real Madrid on June 18, before facing Red Bull Salzburg on June 22 and Pachuca on June 26.
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USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Group stage schedule, odds, TV and live streaming options
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Group stage schedule, odds, TV and live streaming options Show Caption Hide Caption Inter Miami and Messi took alternate route to FIFA Club World Cup Safid Deen explains that while Inter Miami may have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup differently than others, we should be happy they'e in period. Sports Seriously It took until the 115th minute of a play-in game created on the fly ahead of the Club World Cup, but the group stage is finally set for this 2005 international soccer event that's attempting to blend the format of the World Cup with a global field of professional teams reminiscent of the Champions League. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup officially began on Saturday, May 31 when an extra-time goal by Denis Bouanga gave LAFC of Major League Soccer the final spot in the 32-team tournament taking place in venues around the United States for the first time beginning June 14. There are 64 matches on the docket to decide the tournament winner, with the champion crowned after the finals at MetLife Stadium outside New York on July 13. Some of the sport's biggest stars and tradition-rich clubs are slated to participate, including Real Madrid, Paris-St. Germain, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. There's potential for some dream matchups on American soil. The new 2025 group stage and bracket has 12 clubs from Europe, seven from South America, four from Africa, three from the United States, two from Mexico, two from the Middle East, two from Asia and one from Oceania. The Seattle Sounders of MLS also qualified for this year's tournament. Here's more information on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, including the teams participating, a full tournament schedule for the group stage, and the favorites to win this reformatted international soccer event: When is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup? Group Stage : June 14-June 26 : June 14-June 26 Round of 16 : June 28-July 1 : June 28-July 1 Quarterfinals : July 4-5 : July 4-5 Semifinals : July 8-9 : July 8-9 Finals: July 13 What teams are in FIFA Club World Cup? There are 32 teams in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup that have been separated into eight groups of four for the round-robin group stage in June. Here's how the field breaks down Group A Al Ahly FC (Egypt) FC Porto (Portugal) SE Palmeiras (Brazil) Inter Miami (United States) Group B Paris Saint-Germain (France) Atlético de Madrid (Spain) Botafogo (Brazil) Seattle Sounders FC (United States) Group C FC Bayern München (Germany) Auckland City FC (New Zealand) CA Boca Juniors (Argentina) SL Benfica (Portugal) Group D Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) CR Flamengo (Brazil) Chelsea FC (England) LAFC (United States) Group E CA River Plate (Argentina) Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) CF Monterrey (Mexico) Inter Milan (Italy) Group F Fluminense FC (Brazil) Borussia Dortmund (Germany) Ulsan HD (South Korea) Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) Group G Manchester City (England) Wydad AC (Morocco) Al Ain FC (United Arab Emirates) Juventus FC (Italy) Group H Real Madrid (Spain) Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) CF Pachuca (Mexico) FC Salzburg (Austria) Watch FIFA Club World Cup FREE with DAZN How to watch FIFA World Cup 2025: TV, streaming options Every match during the 2025 FIFA World Cup will be live streamed for free on which is the exclusive global broadcaster of the event. TNT will also air 24 matches in the United States. FIFA Club World Cup odds: Favorites to win Real Madrid is currently a slight favorite over Paris-St. Germain and Manchester City to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. BetMGM odds are as of 11 a.m. ET on Monday, June 9. Real Madrid (+400) Paris-St. Germain (+450) Manchester City (+500) Bayern Munich (+700) Chelsea (+1000) Inter Milan (+1400) Atletico Madrid (+1600) FIFA Club World Cup 2025 match schedule GROUP STAGE Saturday, June 14 Group A: Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami, 8 p.m. ET (Miami) Sunday, June 15 Group C: Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Group A: SE Palmeiras vs. FC Porto, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) SE Palmeiras vs. FC Porto, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group B: Botafogo vs. Seattle Sounders, 10 p.m. ET (Seattle) Monday, June 16 Group D: Chelsea vs. LAFC, 3 p.m. ET (Atlanta) Chelsea vs. LAFC, 3 p.m. ET (Atlanta) Group C: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica, 6 p.m. ET (Miami) Boca Juniors vs. Benfica, 6 p.m. ET (Miami) Group D: Flamengo vs. Espérance de Tunis, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Tuesday, June 17 Group F: Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group E: River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group F: Ulsan HD vs. Mamelodi Sundowns, 6 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Ulsan HD vs. Mamelodi Sundowns, 6 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Group E: Monterrey vs. Inter Milan, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Wednesday, June 18 Group G: Manchester City vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Manchester City vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group H: Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Group H: Pachuca vs. FC Salzburg, 6 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Pachuca vs. FC Salzburg, 6 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group G: Al Ain vs. Juventus, 9 p.m. (Washington, D.C.) Thursday, June 19 Group A: Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly, 12 p.m. ET, (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly, 12 p.m. ET, (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group A: Inter Miami vs. Porto, 3 p.m. ET, (Atlanta) Inter Miami vs. Porto, 3 p.m. ET, (Atlanta) Group B: Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid, 6 p.m. ET (Seattle) Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid, 6 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Friday, June 20 Group C: Benfica vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Benfica vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Orlando, Florida) Group D: Flamengo vs. Chelsea, 2 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Flamengo vs. Chelsea, 2 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group D : LAFC vs. Espérance de Tunis, 6 p.m. ET (Nashville, Tennessee) : LAFC vs. Espérance de Tunis, 6 p.m. ET (Nashville, Tennessee) Group C: Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors, 9 p.m. ET (Miami) Saturday, June 21 Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group E: Inter Milan vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Inter Milan vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group F: Fluminense vs. Ulsan HD, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Fluminense vs. Ulsan HD, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Group E: River Plate vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Sunday, June 22 Group G: Juventus vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Juventus vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group H: Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte, North Carolina) Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte, North Carolina) Group H: FC Salzburg vs. Al Hilal, 6 p.m. ET (Washington, D.C.) FC Salzburg vs. Al Hilal, 6 p.m. ET (Washington, D.C.) Group G: Manchester City vs. Al Ain, 9 p.m. ET (Atlanta) Monday, June 23 Group B: Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena, California) Group B : Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) : Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group A: Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, 9 p.m. ET (Miami) Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, 9 p.m. ET (Miami) Group A: Porto vs. Al Ahly, 9 p.m. ET (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Tuesday, June 24 Group C: Benfica vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte) Benfica vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte) Group C: Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors, 3 p.m. ET (Nashville) Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors, 3 p.m. ET (Nashville) Group D: Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia) Group D: LAFC vs. Flamengo, 9 p.m. ET (Orlando) Wednesday, June 25 Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan HD, 3 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan HD, 3 p.m. ET (Cincinnati) Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense, 3 p.m. ET (Miami) Group E: Inter Milan vs. River Plate, 9 p.m. ET (Seattle) Inter Milan vs. River Plate, 9 p.m. ET (Seattle) Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena) Thursday, June 26
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
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