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French World Cup winner N'Golo Kante has agreed to join Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad on a three-year contract when his Chelsea deal expires this summer, the club announced on Tuesday.
Kante, whose Chelsea deal officially expires June 30, will join Karim Benzema at the Jeddah-based club and becomes the latest big name to move to Saudi Arabia following Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Al Nassr in January.
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"The contract [with Kante] was finalized on Tuesday, June 20th, after he completed his medical tests at a specialized medical center in Dubai", Al-Ittihad said in a statement. "This move comes as Ittihad, who recently won the Saudi Professional League, aims to strengthen their squad.
"Kante's addition to Al-Ittihad is considered one of the most high-profile and impactful signings in the club's history. It is part of the club's efforts to establish itself as a top choice for world-class players in the Saudi Professional League."
The 32-year-old's deal will see him paid around €86 million ($109.78 million) per year, according to reports.
ESPN reported in February that Kante was close to signing a new contract with Chelsea, but no deal was finalised and the midfielder has now decided to end his seven-year stay at Stamford Bridge.
After playing a key role in Leicester City's shock Premier League title win in 2016, Kante moved to west London, where he became the first player since Eric Cantona in 1993 to win back-to-back English top-flight titles with two different teams.
Further success followed when lifting the FA Cup in 2018 and winning the Europa League the following year before landing the Champions League crown in 2021. But injuries limited him to just nine appearances in all competitions during a turbulent last season for Chelsea.
Despite spending more than £600m on new signings since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over the club last May, Chelsea finished a lowly 12th in the Premier League. Thomas Tuchel and replacement Graham Potter were both dismissed as managers during the campaign before the season ended with Frank Lampard in interim charge.
Following the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as manager last month, it is set to be another summer of upheaval at Chelsea with several players -- including Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount -- looking likely to depart.
From sickbed to Ashes hotbed, Kate Cross is ready to be England's Test spearhead
Cross is poised to spearhead an inexperienced England seam attack against Australia from Thursday, having recovered from a particularly stubborn strain of Giardia, a parasitic infection of the intestines that she picked up in March and which, in her case, took nine rounds of antibiotics and finally another, more powerful, medication to cure.
"I'm feeling a lot better now," Cross told ESPNcricinfo at Trent Bridge on Tuesday. "It's been a really strange one. It's been something I've had to really work hard mentally at as well. It's not been a standard injury where you've got your regular stepping stones to getting back on the cricket pitch. It's been very up and down, which is something that mentally I've struggled quite a lot with. Then you add an Ashes timeline on to the end of it and a deadline there, so it was quite stressful.
"I'm a bowler that likes to have a lot of overs under the belt, especially going into Test cricket. So it's been something I've had to adapt to. But Jon Lewis actually rang me midway through all of this and just said, 'you're not going to have forgotten how to bowl, Kate. Just make sure you get better before you start thinking about cricket.' So I just feel really fortunate."
Cross credits a few other phone conversations with helping her towards being given the all-clear in early June too.
"I've had the world's best looking after me as well," she said. "I've got an incredible medical team and a sports science med team behind me and the time and effort that they were putting in, I'm so grateful for. Texting your doctor at 3.30 in the morning and getting replies back straight away just goes to show how much they've really cared for me, so I'm very lucky in that regard."
Another complicating factor in her recovery has been the fact that she was losing so much weight during bouts of illness between courses of antibiotics, that she became an injury risk. As a result, she had to train one day on and two days off. So while she has had to adapt to not having "my most ideal preparation", she was satisfied with the work done in training and during a drawn three-day, red-ball warm-up match on a slow, lifeless pitch in Derby where England bowled Australia A out for 221 in their first innings before amassing 650 themselves.
"That's actually scared me a bit to be honest because there was times when I didn't know if I'd be well enough to be thinking about playing Ashes cricket," Cross said. "We always prioritised my health before we prioritised thinking about that first ball but I remember in the Test last year at Taunton, it was the first time I got to bowl the first ball for England. Obviously with Katherine and Anya at the helm for a long time it was difficult to get the new ball.
"I actually misheard the umpire and didn't hear her say, 'play', so I actually delayed my opportunity to open the bowling so it was a bit embarrassing. But when you're a kid in the back garden playing Ashes cricket with your brother and sister, you always think about those moments and being able to do them on the big stage. I think it would be a really proud moment if I got to take the new ball."
Some 14,500 tickets have been sold for the five-day Test, which kicks off the multi-format series ahead of three T20Is and three ODIs, being played and marketed in tandem with the Men's Ashes.
Just like their male counterparts, England Women are implementing a more free, entertainment-focused style of play under Lewis, who arrived from the men's set-up late last year. Cross said there had been little talk within the home camp of balancing that approach with the fact the game is over five days, which was more likely to produce a result in the event of any adverse weather.
"It's not that we're going out there trying to hit sixes every ball, it's just having the opportunity to put pressure on the opposition and that's what we've spoken about a lot more, how we do that individually, how we do it as a team," she said.
"That Test match that we had in Canberra was probably the starting point for us as a group about how we want to approach cricket," Cross said. "We went to try and win that game, to chase 250 on the last day and we've never done that in one-day cricket, so to try and do it in Test cricket goes to show how brave the group is and how the batters wanted to approach that game.
"We talk a lot about moving the game forward, especially in Test cricket. It's a challenge for us because we don't' play a lot of it and we do a lot of learning when we're out there and it's a bit of a big stage to be doing that. We feel like we expose ourselves in a way because you have to be vulnerable in those moments to learn about the game, but we love doing it. We love the challenge of it, it's new challenges on our bodies and going five days will be a big challenge but not one that we want to shy away from."
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women's cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
Tahlia McGrath says conceding 562 in warm-up game was 'perfect prep'
England A bowled Australia out for 284 in the first innings of their three-day, red-ball warm-up match in Leicester last week then piled on 562 in reply, led by centuries to Lauren Winfield-Hill and Paige Scholfield.
"It was perfect prep for us," McGrath said at Trent Bridge, two days out from the Test which will begin the multi-format series. "We really enjoyed it. We got tested, we had a long day in the field and we had some really good moments and some moments that we've had some really good discussions about and reflected on. From a preparation point of view, we couldn't be happier. We've had some really good chats, reflected and we're going into this five-day game really confident."
McGrath is vice-captain for Alyssa Healy, who in turn will lead the side in place of regular skipper Meg Lanning, who was ruled out of the tour for medical reasons. McGrath said she was impressed with how Australia had adapted in the circumstances.
"Meg's an outstanding captain and it's obviously going to be a bit different without her, but everyone's stepped up and just found that five percent extra," she said. "It's a collective approach with the side and Midge [Healy] is doing an outstanding job with leading from the front. Every time she speaks, everyone stops and listens. So we're finding everyone's stepping up and doing that little bit extra and we're travelling really well as a group."
Litchfield scored 68 during a 167-run stand with Annabel Sutherland, who made 116, as Australia reached 371 for 7 in the second innings of the warm-up game.
"Phoebs has been unreal," McGrath said. "If I was her, I'd be quite nervous, my first major tour away, and she's like she's been doing it for years.
"She's absolutely killing it, extremely hard working at training, and she's so hard on herself, she just wants perfection. I'm really enjoying watching her journey and I'm excited for her, if she gets the opportunity, to watch her go out there and do her thing.
"I look at our squad and I'm just excited about how much talent there is. You look at the Phoebe Litchfields, the Darcie Browns, yes, they're young in age but wow, they're serious cricketers. I don't think it matters who we put on the park, it's going to be a really good team and yeah, we're missing a bit of experience but we've got some talent and we've got a lot of domestic experience behind us as well so I'm excited for different individuals to stand up at different times."
England enjoyed the best of the weather on Tuesday and were able to train on the outfield at Trent Bridge while Australia had been forced to train entirely indoors due to heavy morning showers. But McGrath didn't believe that would dent Australia's hopes of taking four points from winning the Test, which looks set to be played in finer conditions and with a fifth day providing an added buffer against a draw.
"That's one thing we were really excited about, the prospect of a result, and both teams play a really aggressive brand of cricket and are both in some really good form at the moment," she said. "Personally, I love the five days I'd love to see it from now on. That's where I stand on it. But we'll leave that for others to decide."
If any moisture remains in the air, McGrath will look forward to the chance to try and swing the red Dukes ball, which she said had provided a learning experience in terms of how to use it, but a welcome one ahead of just her fourth Test appearance in what will be 53 matches for her country.
"I'm feeling really good," she added. "If you'd asked me a couple of months ago, maybe a different story when I was learning the red ball. But we've all put in a lot of hard work, we've had a lot of discussions as a team, a lot of discussions with our skill group coaches… everyone's feeling really good about their game.
"We've had a decent training block where we've trained pretty uncomfortable at times and we've come out better for it, so I personally go in full of confidence and I know for a fact that the team goes in really confident as well."
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women's cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
Ben Stokes defends controversial declaration as England's 'chance to pounce' on Australia
Stokes' decision came under scrutiny in the media, with former England captains lining up to say they would not have declared in the same circumstances. And in the context of England's narrow defeat late on the final evening, his declaration was questioned again.
Speaking on the BBC's Test Match Special, former England captain Michael Vaughan said he would "guarantee" that Stokes would not make the same declaration in the second Test if the circumstances arose.
"Those 30 or 40 runs…" Vaughan said. "If you'd have asked Ben Stokes this morning, 'Would you have liked Joe to have got another 30 on that day one, you've now got them in the bank?' Of course [he would].
"I will guarantee at Lord's, if they bat first and they're 393 for 8 with 20 minutes to go, I will guarantee that they'll carry on batting… not with Joe Root 118 not out."
But at his press conference, Stokes said: "If we were in the same position? Yeah. I would like to be 398 for 6 [sic] with 20 minutes left. That would be great.
"I could also turn it around and say, 'if we didn't declare, would we have got the excitement that we did at the end of day five?' I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I'm not going to be looking back on this game as 'what ifs'... the reality is, we just didn't manage to get over the line."
"I wasn't overly surprised," Cummins said, "But the wicket felt pretty good, so I thought every run was pretty much needed in that first innings."
Stokes explained that he had sensed "an opportunity to pounce" on Khawaja and Warner, and that he would not alter his bold captaincy style simply because of the opposition and the nature of Ashes series.
"I thought that was a time to pounce," Stokes said at the presentation. "I am not going to change the way I have gone about my cricket because it is the Ashes.
"Who knows? We could have got an extra 40 runs or lost two wickets in two balls. I am not a captain who gets by on what ifs.
"We saw it as an opportunity to pounce on Australia and really start day two on top."
England confident weary bowlers will be ready for Lord's
England hope that a week's gap between the first and second Ashes Tests will enable their bowling attack time to recover ahead of back-to-back fixtures at Lord's and Headingley, following a heavy workload at Edgbaston this week.
"I told Mo to tell me if his finger was sore, and I'd sensed that it was even before that," Stokes said. "For him to come back into his first Test match and operate in the way that he did and really put himself through the pain barrier for the team [was great].
"You could see what it meant to him going out to play for England again with a huge smile on his face. I selected him for his match-winning moments. He had a few of them with the ball and nearly got us over the line... [The break] gives Mo a good chance for his finger to heal up."
Speaking before play started on Tuesday, Anderson admitted to Sky Sports that he was "still searching for a bit of rhythm" on his return from a groin niggle that kept him out for over a month, including England's 10-wicket win over Ireland.
"It's been difficult," Anderson added. "I feel like I do need a bit of game time to get back into it and it has been five-six weeks since I last played. I feel like I've bowled OK but I definitely feel like there's more there."
Stokes himself bowled seven overs in each innings and took two vital wickets, trapping Steven Smith lbw in the first innings and inducing a chop-on from Usman Khawaja in the second with a leg cutter. He hardly celebrated Khawaja's dismissal - "I was absolutely flying on caffeine," he explained - but said he saw his bowling workload as "a massive boost".
"I've put my body through more than it's actually been through over the last year, which is obviously great signs for myself and another confidence boost for me," Stokes said. "Getting through that, knowing we've still got four games coming up has given me a massive boost.
"I can't remember the last time I've sort of been able to continually bowl. I was just really happy that I was able to get a good long spell in, and I just love being in that situation. I love bowling long spells, especially when the game's on the line."
He explained that he had tried to "keep myself pretty level" after dismissing Khawaja, explaining that the match "wasn't done". Stokes said: "If you looked back two or three ago, it would have been a big celebration and all that kind of stuff.
"I just sort of sensed that was my time in the game to get myself on. It was obviously a big wicket to get, but the game wasn't done and I just had to try really hard to keep myself level - because I was flying high on caffeine."
Dolphins' Hill investigated in alleged altercation
MIAMI -- Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is under investigation on allegations of assault/battery at a Miami Beach marina, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department said Tuesday.
According to WPLG-TV in Miami, Hill allegedly hit a marina employee during a "disagreement" that took place Sunday. Miami sports radio show host Andy Slater reported that Hill slapped the employee on the back of the head, but that the employee has declined to press charges at this time.
The Dolphins released a statement through a spokesperson, acknowledging the reported incident.
"We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Tyreek, his representatives and the NFL," the Dolphins said in the statement. "We will reserve further comment at this time."
Hill is entering his second season with the Dolphins after spending the first six of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Sacramento Kings G League affiliate made history Tuesday, naming Lindsey Harding as the new head coach of the Stockton Kings and Anjali Ranadivé as the new general manager. It's the first time in G League history that two women will lead an affiliate team.
Harding spent four seasons as an assistant/player development coach with the Kings and also spent time on the Philadelphia 76ers' staff. She played nine seasons in the WNBA after being picked No. 1 overall in the 2007 draft out of Duke. She also has extensive experience coaching internationally.
Anjali Ranadivé, 30, is the daughter of Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and was the Stockton Kings' assistant general manager last season. She previously worked in the Kings' social responsibility department and as an intern for the Golden State Warriors.
Before starting her career in sports, Anjali was a recording artist and songwriter in Los Angeles.
Paul Johnson, who previously served as the G League team's general manager, is moving to a front-office role with the Sacramento Kings. He was named the NBA G League Executive of the Year last season.
HOUSTON -- For much of the past few years, the Houston Astros depended on Justin Verlander to lead their rotation.
With the three-time Cy Young Award winner gone to the New York Mets this season, that role shifted to Framber Valdez. And on Tuesday night, Valdez outpitched his former teammate to give the Astros a much-needed win.
Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer and Valdez threw eight strong innings as Houston snapped a five-game slide with a 4-2 win over the Mets.
"Framber was incredible today," Bregman said. "Verlander, for five years, was incredible for us. Whenever we needed a [win] he was there and [now] Framber's been that guy for us."
Valdez (7-5) took over as Houston's ace this year following Verlander's departure after winning the AL Cy Young Award last season. Valdez didn't allow a baserunner until the sixth and held the Mets scoreless until the eighth.
"I had a lot of fun going against him," Valdez said through a translator. "This was a very fun outing."
The Astros led by one in the third before Bregman connected off Verlander (2-4) for the 150th home run of his career to make it 3-0.
"A bit frustrated, a 3-0 homer," Verlander said. "I know Breggy does his homework and just sold out for a heater there. So that's on me. Should have known a little better."
Valdez yielded four hits and two runs with nine strikeouts to leave his ERA at 2.27, which ranks second in the majors.
"He was great," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "He gave us all he had."
Ryan Pressly pitched a scoreless ninth for his 13th save.
Verlander, who helped Houston to two World Series titles, allowed eight hits and four runs in seven innings in his first outing against his former team.
Jose Altuve drove in two runs to help the Astros end their longest losing streak of the season and bounce back after an 11-1 walloping in the series opener.
"I hope we don't go through a streak like that the rest of the year," Baker said. "It seemed like we hadn't won in a month."
The Mets had just one hit on a single by Mark Canha in the sixth when Tommy Pham singled to right field to start the eighth. Francisco Álvarez then doubled on a ball that rolled to the warning track.
Corey Julks raced to make a nifty catch in left field on a ball hit by Jeff McNeil before a sacrifice fly by Canha scored Pham to cut the lead to 4-1. Eduardo Escobar singled to send another run home before Valdez retired Brandon Nimmo for the third out.
Julks doubled to start the Houston third before a one-out single by Martín Maldonado. The Astros took a 1-0 lead when Julks scored on a sacrifice fly by Altuve.
Bregman then launched his 10th homer into the seats in left field to make it 3-0.
Julks hit an infield single with no outs in the seventh and moved to second on a groundout by Maldonado for the second out. The Astros pushed the lead to 4-0 when Altuve singled on a grounder to center field.
"The last one really bugs me," Verlander said. "It just seems like a lot of the balls that were put in play just found a hole."
Valdez was perfect until Canha singled on a liner to shallow right field with one out in the sixth. Valdez still faced the minimum in that inning after Escobar grounded into a double play.
Valdez walked Francisco Lindor with two outs in the seventh before shortstop Jeremy Peña made a nice play on a grounder hit by Pete Alonso to end the inning.
CHICAGO -- The White Sox said four fans were injured in a hit-and-run collision outside Guaranteed Rate Field ahead of the team's game Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.
The pedestrians were injured just after 6:20 p.m. local time, Chicago police and fire officials said.
One of the pedestrians held onto the car as it fled the scene before the vehicle was stopped by an ambulance on the nearby Dan Ryan Expressway, officials said. The person clinging to the car and one of the three outside the stadium were in critical condition. The other two pedestrians were in serious condition, officials said.
According to the White Sox, the injured were treated at the scene and transported to area hospitals.
In addition, the driver of the vehicle and three others in the car were hospitalized with various injuries. Illinois State Police and Chicago Police apprehended the suspect blocks away from where the hit and run took place.
"Our hearts go out to the four fans who were injured this evening, their families and friends, as well as the fans who witnessed the incident on their way to a baseball game," the team said. "The Chicago White Sox organization expresses its appreciation to the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Fire Department, the Illinois State Police and others, including fans, who responded to the incident and provided immediate care for the victims."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
CINCINNATI -- TJ Friedl hit a three-run homer on a four-hit night, rookie Elly De La Cruz added a solo shot and the Cincinnati Reds extended their winning streak to 10 games with an 8-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
"I remember what it was like to lose a game," Friedl said. "That's why we're trying to stay as far away from it as possible."
Will Benson had a solo homer in the sixth, helping the NL Central-leading Reds to their longest winning streak since 2012, when they also won 10 straight. They last won 11 straight in 1940, the year they won the World Series.
De La Cruz had three hits as fans chanted, "Elly! Elly!"
"We're very appreciative of the opportunity we have," Reds manager David Bell said. "We've experienced what that feels like and we want to keep it going. What great crowds we've had the last two nights; that means a lot to our team."
Jorge Alfaro's three-run homer in the eighth, which bounced off the top of the fence in center, couldn't keep the Rockies from their seventh straight loss.
The Reds scored two runs in the fifth with the help of three throwing errors by Colorado right-hander Peter Lambert, two on attempted pickoffs at second.
Nolan Jones hit a solo homer off of Cincinnati right-hander Ben Lively in the first, setting up the Reds for their National League-best 25th come-from-behind win.
Lively allowed a season-high four walks and gave up three hits and two runs with four strikeouts in four innings.
Alex Young (2-0), the second of six Cincinnati pitchers, faced the minimum three batters in the fifth for the victory. Alexis Diaz allowed a run before escaping a bases-loaded jam with a whiff of Alfari for his 20th save in 20 opportunities.
"That doesn't surprise me," Colorado manager Bud Black said. "That's what our guys do. We don't stop. Everything in the dugout points to the next inning, the next at-bat."
Friedl followed back-to-back two-out walks by Benson and Curt Casali, the eighth and ninth batters in Cincinnati's lineup, with a drive into the first row of the right-field seats off right-hander Noah Davis in the second.
"I just wasn't able to execute pitches there," Davis said. "Bottom of the lineup coming up with two outs, you've got to get it over and make them force the action, so that's a mistake on my part."
The switch-hitting De La Cruz went opposite field to left in the third for his second homer since being called up June 6. Spencer Steer added an RBI double in the inning.
The speedy De La Cruz reached in the fifth with a single off the body of Lambert, who threw the ball away after collecting it. De La Cruz went to third on an errant pickoff try and scored on Jake Fraley's double.
Davis (0-2) also set a season high with four walks.
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