The former Inter Milan coach left the Serie A club on Tuesday after a humiliating 5-0 loss in the Champions League final against Paris St Germain capped a trophyless season.
With the 2025-26 season still weeks away, Premier League clubs are already scrambling to strengthen their squads-- fuelled by the looming Club World Cup. Here are five names dominating the early headlines.
Al Hilal sacked their Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus on Saturday days after the Saudi giants were beaten in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League.
Al-Nassr remain in the third place with 54 points but they are now three points behind second-placed Al-Hilal and seven off leaders Al-Ittihad, who visit Al-Ahli on Saturday.
The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward played just seven times for Al Hilal despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year.
Santos' president told Brazilian superstar Neymar it was "time to return to (his) people" in a video published on social media on Tuesday.
"The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career with Al-Hilal, and wish the player success in his career," said a club statement posted on social media.
The evening ended on a sour note for Al-Hilal when Neymar, who returned two weeks ago from a year out due to a ruptured cruciate ligament, was replaced 29 minutes after his introduction from the bench due to injury.
"Happy to be back in the group," Neymar posted on Instagram, with pictures of him running and kicking the ball, watched by Al Hilal's Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.
The 31-year-old Neymar signed a two-year contract with the Riyadh-based club on Tuesday after spending six years with Paris St Germain, in a deal reportedly worth about 90 million euros ($98 million)
Saudi Professional League (SPL) club Al-Hilal announced that Neymar had signed a contract until 2025, with the Brazilian saying, "I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali" in a video on the team's social media accounts
The Brazil international joined the French champions for 220 million euros ($241m) from Barcelona in 2017
Links of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, rumours of Neymar returning to Barcelona have been the commonalities of the transfer market over the past few years. This summer, however, in addition to the aforementioned sagas, the emergence of one major entity -- the Saudi Pro League -- has taken the transfer market by storm.
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has refused to meet officials from Al Hilal, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the Saudis' ambitious hopes of completing a world record 300-million-euro ($333 million) swoop.
The four-times Asian Champions League winners said Koulibaly's contract would run until 2026 without giving any financial details. British media reported that the Saudi club would pay around 17 million pounds ($21.61 million) for the centre back
With beIN Sports’ Khaled Waleed also tweeting that this is the same individual with whom FC Barcelona are reportedly interested in capturing, it has been suggested that the player in question is Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar.
Dinner, drinks and a selfie with Lionel Messi sounds like every football fan's dream, but Chinese police have warned it's just one of numerous scams surrounding his visit to Beijing.
Lionel Messi is reportedly expected to sign for Saudi Club Al Hilal in a historic deal, with the club's officials currently in Paris, Saudi Gazette reported on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulayhi joked he is afraid Lionel Messi will ask for his departure if the Argentine forward joins the Saudi club, after an argument with him during a World Cup match last year.
