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N’Golo Kante’s impending departure from Chelsea for Al-Ittihad and the prospect of several colleagues following him to the Middle East has thrust Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in football under the spotlight. The potential flow of players from the big-spending Stamford Bridge club to the Gulf state has raised eyebrows in recent days amid allegations that the move could be a ploy to help it meet Financial Fair Play requirements. Here, the PA news agency takes a look recent developments and how the Premier League could be affected. Why are Chelsea offloading players? The Blues have spent over £600million on players since American businessman Todd Boehly completed his takeover in May last year, including a £106.8million January swoop for World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez. They also splashed out £52million for RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku earlier this week. Sales of the likes of Timo Werner and Jorginho have offset that expenditure only minimally and with the club having reported a loss of £121million for the 2021-22 season, Financial Fair Play rules which dictate that clubs can only make losses of £105million over three seasons are an issue. Which players are reportedly involved? Kante’s departure to the Gulf state may not be the last from Chelsea. Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been linked with switches to Saudi clubs. They are not alone either – Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is expected to complete a move to Al-Hilal with former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo’s switch to Al-Nassr in January having established a clear pathway. Why are so many players heading for Saudi Arabia? The money on offer may have something to do with it. The Middle East state’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, took controlling stakes in four Saudi Pro League clubs – Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr – earlier this month as part of the wider ‘Vision 2030’ plan to diversify the Saudi economy. The country’s rulers also believe a thriving professional sports scene will help drive up grassroots activity levels in the kingdom. The Saudis have signalled their intention to mount a bid to host the 2030 World Cup, and raising the standard and profile of the domestic league could prove crucial to that mission. PIF has the financial clout to recruit big names to the cause with Karim Benzema having already agreed to join Al-Ittihad. It is not the first time an emerging league has adopted similar tactics. Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Moore all played in the North American Soccer League at the end of their respective careers, while China has lured a host of top-flight stars to its Super League in recent years. Public Investment Fund – that name sounds familiar? It should. PIF holds an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle United, who have invested in excess of £250million in new signings since the Amanda Staveley-led consortium in which it is the major partner completed its buy-out at St James’ Park in October 2021. The Magpies surged to a fourth-place finish in last season’s Premier League and secured Champions League football for the first time in 20 years to the delight of a fanbase which has been reinvigorated despite concerted criticism over the source of the club’s new-found wealth. PIF, whose governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan is Newcastle’s chairman, is also a key player in the controversial merger between the LIV Golf series and the PGA and DP World Tours which has prompted fresh accusations of sportswashing. Why all the fuss about Chelsea? This is where it gets interesting. Private equity firm Clearlake Capital Group provided around 60 per cent of the funding for Boehly’s £2.5billion takeover and has underwritten much of the investment since; PIF is an investor with Clearlake. Financial experts have suggested such is the size of Clearlake’s portfolio that while some PIF money may form part of its holding in Chelsea, there is no direct link and therefore no risk of breaching Premier League rules which prohibit ownership of two clubs. However, the perception in some quarters is that any existing relationship between the Blues, the sovereign wealth fund and the four domestic clubs it now controls could allow them to sell on players for inflated fees and thereby reduce their FFP burden. What has been said about the situation? Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, co-owner of League Two Salford, is unimpressed. Speaking to BBC Sport, Neville said: “The Premier League should put an instant embargo on transfers to Saudi Arabia to ensure the integrity of the game isn’t being damaged. Checks should be made on the appropriateness of the transactions.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Newcastle hoping to push through club-record deal for AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali Government and PFA want review of pitch perimeter safety after serious injury CAS: Impossible to put timescale on final decision in Kamila Valieva doping case

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How different did 2013 really look in the life of Fernando Alonso? Driving a competitive car, buoyed by thousands of Spanish supporters, the two-time Formula 1 world champion looked – in eagerness bordering on desperation – to haul in the championship lead of a Red Bull driver out in front. Sound familiar? A decade on, the tune of the day feels decidedly identical. Yet plenty has happened in the 10 years in-between. Alonso has loved, left, and fallen back in love with the sport. Red Bull’s champion-of-the-day back then, Sebastian Vettel, would wrap up the 2013 world title, the last of four crowns. By the end of last year the German, six years younger than Alonso no less, retired and vacated an Aston Martin seat swallowed up by the Spaniard. Now Red Bull’s de facto No 1 is Max Verstappen, who incredibly 10 years ago at 15 years of age was just 18 months away from his F1 debut. Back then, Alonso divebombed his way from fifth on the grid to first at the chequered flag. His 2nd win in Barcelona; his first with Ferrari. The gap to Vettel was closed. But there would be no third title; in fact, from that point on there would be no grand prix wins at all. It remains 32 and counting. Not long after, Alonso departed Ferrari short of the third world championship he should have claimed. A series of near-misses with the Scuderia were followed by ignominy and embarrassment at his second coming with McLaren, amid engine issues in partnership with Honda. The scale of the downwards spiral, coupled with fruitless fighting at the back of the pack, saw Alonso call it a day himself at the end of 2018. Two years out was enough of a break, though. Not even impressive showings in IndyCar and Le Mans competed with the adrenaline-fuelled mayhem of F1. Returning with Alpine – the Renault team where he made his name and won his titles in 2005 and 2006 – Alonso was back in the midfield fight. A first podium in seven years was landed in Qatar in 2021. But as Alpine hesitated on a two-year deal last summer, Aston big boss Lawrence Stroll saw an opportunity to replace one multiple world champion with another. For both parties, and in contrast to so many of Alonso’s team tinkers in the past, it has proved a fruitful move. The Spaniard is third in the championship and has been on the podium in five of six races. Aston have given Alonso joy at long-last. His ecstasy is regularly heard on team radio, with advice to team-mate Lance Stroll not uncommon either. Simply, Alonso has a new lease of life, in what are his swansong years. Which bring us to this weekend and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A crowd of 275,000 is expected over the weekend, the majority likely to be sporting the racing green of Aston. A storybook victor is not out of the question, after a missed opportunity last week in Monaco, but Alonso downplayed suggestions his team are in the running. “I don’t think realistically we can fight for the victory, let’s be clear,” he said. “Red Bull have been very dominant all season long and I don’t see any reason why, in Barcelona, they should not aim for a one-two. But let’s see what we can do. “Going into [any] race [in my career], I was fighting for whatever position with the mentality of getting that – the maximum from the cars. “Sometimes it’s P7, sometimes it’s a podium possibility. I know that in Formula 1 it has been a few years already, since Ferrari times, but in endurance I was going into every race winning the race and the world championship so it’s not that long ago.” It is a big weekend, too, for Mercedes. While the Silver Arrows brought in their highly-anticipated upgrade package in Monaco last week, this traditional testing track will bring a true assessment of its powers. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell wait, after a season-and-a-bit of turmoil, with baited breath. Of course, there is no doubting the clear frontrunners. Verstappen was brilliant in Monaco; his last-ditch pole lap setting in motion a win come Sunday. The Dutchman is 39 points clear of team-mate Sergio Perez in the championship and Red Bull will be eyeing another one-two here, matching last year’s result. Their straight-line speed, too, gives them a huge advantage, particularly in light of organisers ditching the unpopular final chicane, meaning cars will hit the main straight at greater pace. But Alonso is in with a shout. Aston have, beyond Mercedes and Ferrari, looked the team capable of bringing the fight to Red Bull. And there is no doubt their protagonist will be desperate to land that long-awaited victory in his homeland. Como 33 has been the phrase of the year, with even national sporting icons like Carlos Alcaraz pitching their support. Alonso claiming No 33, in Spain, would give F1 its moment of the season so far. Read More Monaco showed mesmeric Max Verstappen only has one obstacle to title – and it’s not Sergio Perez Lewis Hamilton warned not to expect instant results from Mercedes upgrade F1 race schedule: What time is the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday? Monaco showed mesmeric Max only has one obstacle to title – and it’s not Sergio Perez Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘will not give up’ in push for F1 triumph Concerns Monaco GP could be ‘left behind’ as Max Verstappen wins ‘boring race’

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England Under-21s made it three wins from three and dumped Germany out of the European Under-21 Championship with a 2-0 win in their final group game in Batumi. Two goals in the opening 21 minutes from Cameron Archer and Harvey Elliott were enough to secure another three points as England topped Group C with maximum points while holders Germany were sent crashing out without a win to their name. England made an explosive start and hit the front after just four minutes when Jacob Ramsey’s clever through ball found Archer and he calmly tucked the ball past Noah Atubolu to make it 1-0. The Young Lions nearly doubled their advantage six minutes later when the ball fell to Ramsey inside the area but his low drive went wide of the far post. Lee Carsley’s side did make it two in the 21st minute thanks to a wonderful solo effort from Elliott. The Liverpool midfielder collected the ball inside his own half, drove at the German defence into the penalty area before coolly slotting home to make it 2-0. Germany needed to win to have any chance of qualifying and their first chance came on the half-hour mark but Brentford forward Kevin Schade’s shot from inside the area found the hands of James Trafford. Schade was Germany’s main threat and he had another chance to pull one back just before half-time when he sprinted down the right-hand side but saw his effort tipped away by the keeper. Germany may have been facing an early exit but they posed little threat in the second half as England continued to probe, with half-chances falling to Cole Palmer after Elliott had forced a great save from Atubolu. James Garner came close to a third with 15 minutes to go after some neat link-up play but the Everton midfielder could not steer his effort on target from close range. Germany’s best chance of the game came three minutes from time when Finn Ole Becker’s powerful deflected effort was palmed away by Trafford, who secured another clean sheet alongside three straight 2-0 wins. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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