Al-Hilal are in advanced talks to sign N’Golo Kante on a short-term loan from Al-Ittihad, allowing the France international to play at the Club World Cup.
A deal is yet to be completed, but the parties are optimistic after Kante showed a willingness to switching clubs.
The expectation, should a deal be completed, is that Kante will return to Al-Ittihad for the 2025/26 season.
Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are both controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, while central Saudi dealmakers also see value in Kante switching clubs believing he will raise Hilal’s profile during the Club World Cup.
Al-Hilal begin their tournament against Real Madrid in Miami on June 18 and have been keen to add marquee names ahead of that fixture, which will also see former Inter boss Simone Inzaghi make his debut.
Al-Hilal retained the central budget originally allocated for Mo Salah’s wages had he left Liverpool, giving them over £500m to spend this summer. They are expected to be ambitious after the Club World Cup in the market as well.
The Riyadh-based club tried for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and talkSPORT understands they even made a late call on Monday about Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Atlanta’s Ederson, Inter’s Nicola Barella and Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans were all also approached, while deals for Roma’s Angelino and Milan’s Theo Hernandez fell through.
Hilal may revisit some of their these targets after the Club World Cup.
A loan move, similar to what is being proposed for N’Golo Kante, was also proposed for Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, the Portugal star was reticent to switch from Al-Nassr to Al-Hilal, given the city rivalry between the clubs. Ronaldo is now expected to extend at Al-Nassr.
Kante is more open to a temporary switch. The 34-year-old has made 81 appearances for Al-Ittiahd since leaving Chelsea in summer 2023, and won the Saudi Pro League title last season.
Should an agreement be reached on Tuesday, Kante will join Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ruben Neves and be reunited with his former Chelsea teammate Kalidou Koulibaly.
© talkSPORT.