A drone display also spelled out “Neymar is blue” above the 68,000-capacity venue.

Neymar joined the Saudi Pro League side from Paris St-Germain on Tuesday in a deal worth about £77.6m (90m euros).

The move continues a remarkable summer spending spree by Saudi clubs. Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Neves, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have all moved to Saudi Arabia, while Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr from Manchester United at the start of the year.

Neymar is expected to make his Al-Hilal debut against Al-Raed on Thursday.

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Disasi, 25, offers defensive cover at Stamford Bridge after Wesley Fofana sustained a serious knee injury.

He played in all 38 of Monaco’s Ligue 1 games last season.

“I am really proud to be able to be a part of this great family,” Disasi told Chelsea’s website.

“I hope to achieve very big things here. To win titles. I will do everything I can to achieve those objectives. I am very ambitious.”

The Blues, meanwhile, have agreed a fee with Brighton for goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, while several bids for the Spaniard’s team-mate Moises Caicedo have been rejected by the Seagulls.

Disasi has played four times for France, including featuring as a substitute in the 2022 World Cup final defeat against Argentina, and made 129 appearances for Monaco after joining from Stade de Reims in August 2020.

The centre-back becomes Chelsea’s sixth signing of the summer following the acquisitions of Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Angelo Gabriel and Diego Moreira, as new manager Mauricio Pochettino continues to put his stamp on the squad.

Disasi will compete with fellow central defenders Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, and Levi Colwill – who signed a new deal on 2 August – for a starting berth, while compatriot Benoit Badiashile will miss the start of the Premier League season with a hamstring injury and Fofana is expected to be sidelined for several months after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament.

“I can’t wait to feel the energy of the fans,” Disasi added.

“The fervour of the fans in the Premier League, the atmosphere, the intensity of the games – it is something that excites me.”

Chelsea’s pre-season fixtures concluded on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago – ending their US tour undefeated – and the focus now turns to their opening Premier League game of 2023-24 at home to Liverpool on 13 August.

Pochettino has been tasked with overhauling the squad while also trying to vastly improve on last season’s 12th-place finish in the Premier League.

Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ethan Ampadu, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Abdul Rahman Baba and former captain Cesar Azpilicueta have all departed the club so far this summer.

Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley told the club’s website: “Axel has showcased his quality over several seasons in France and that has deservedly led to recognition on the international stage.

“He is ready to take the next step in his career and we are delighted that will be with Chelsea. We welcome him to the club and look forward to him joining up with Mauricio Pochettino and his new teammates in the days ahead.”

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It is the same date he will join Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Ittihad from Premier League Chelsea.

“Flavio is obviously extremely happy to be able to hand over the keys of the club to N’Golo Kante,” said the club in a statement.

“[He is] a player of great class, not only for his footballing qualities but also and above all for his unanimously recognised human qualities.”

The Belgian side are in the process of regaining their professional license, and will play in the Belgian National Division 1 in the 2023-24 season.

This division is two steps below the country’s top tier, the Belgian Pro League. No details have been released on whether Kante has paid a fee to purchase Excelsior Virton.

The club say they are debt free, and a board of directors will be set up in the coming days.

Kante began his career in France’s amateur divisions in Boulogne, before being spotted by Caen in 2013.

He helped Leicester City win the Premier League in the 2015-16 season before moving to Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge, Kante won the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup.

He also played a key role in France’s World Cup success in 2018.

His purchase of Excelsior Virton is the latest by a professional player, after the announcement of Wilfried Zaha’s deal to buy AFC Croydon Athletic with rapper Stormzy earlier this week.

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A growing number of players at their peak are attracting interest too, including Wolves captain Ruben Neves, Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Arsenal’s Thomas Partey. It underlines the league’s ambition to be one of the top five in the world.

Neville, though, is among those asking what all this potential activity means.

In June, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United, confirmed it was taking over four leading clubs in the country, including Al-Nassr, who signed Ronaldo in December.

There is uncertainty over whether PIF holds a stake in Chelsea’s ultimate owners, the private equity firm Clearlake Capital, although club sources have rejected suggestions of any direct involvement.

“The Premier League should put an instant embargo on transfers to Saudi Arabia to ensure the integrity of the game isn’t being damaged,” Neville told BBC Sport.

“Checks should be made on the appropriateness of the transactions.

“If it comes through that process, obviously transfers could open up again. But I do believe, at this moment in time, transfers should be halted until you look into the ownership structure at Chelsea and whether there are beneficial transfer dealings that are improper.”

A question of money – and Financial Fair Play

Neville’s comments have come as Saudi Arabian spending in football increases, and as some English clubs face a challenge balancing their books.

Both Chelsea and Wolves have been facing difficult decisions around recruitment this summer as they try to keep within the Premier League’s three-year limit on losses of £105m under Financial Fair Play rules.

Chelsea spent more than £400m in transfers last season, while Wolves posted a £46.1m loss last year and boss Julen Lopetegui said the club must “solve” their Financial Fair Play issues to compete in the Premier League.

Wolves had thought Neves would join Barcelona this summer. However, the 26-year-old midfielder, who played for Portugal at last year’s World Cup, has instead agreed a lucrative deal to join Al Hilal for £47m, a far higher fee than anticipated.

Sources at Chelsea are adamant Saudi Arabia’s PIF has “zero interest, financial or otherwise” in the club. It has never been denied PIF have an involvement in Clearlake but it has been stressed the US private equity vehicle has 400 different investors across six continents and it is thought no shareholder is allowed to own more than 5% of the organisation.

Multi-club ownership is not prohibited by European governing body Uefa, which has so far refused to comment. The Premier League does have a fair value assessment system to try to ensure deals, both commercial and transfers, are conducted at market value. Fifa’s transfer matching system is designed to do similar.

The aim, ultimately, is to make sure the rules are followed. No easy task, given that markets fluctuate, and a player’s value can change.

What’s the pedigree of the league?

Saudi Arabia has always had big interest in football – and a competitive league to go with it.

The national team have qualified for six of the past eight World Cups. They have won three Asian Cups – only Japan have more. In Qatar last year, all 26 members of the squad played for domestic clubs. No club have won the AFC Champions League more times than Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, with four victories.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has become a more visual presence on the sporting scene, hosting Formula 1 races and high-profile world title boxing bouts as well as setting up LIV Golf.

The controversial purchase of Newcastle was further evidence of a growing interest in using sport to project Saudi Arabia to a wider audience. A joint 2030 World Cup bid with Egypt and Greece is planned too.

“Saudi Arabia sees itself as being at the centre of a new world order and investing in sport helps contribute to that national positioning,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business School in Paris, was quoted as saying recently.

Improving the Saudi Arabian league is part of that plan – with the help of high-profile names.

Former Leeds and Wolves forward Helder Costa, former Argentina international Ever Banega and former Watford and Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo all featured last season, when Al-Ittihad, coached by former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, finished as champions.

Is this another Chinese Super League?

When a league becomes a big player in the world transfer market, questions about its financial sustainability will follow.

The Chinese Super League, for a brief period, attracted much interest and paid huge sums to attract high-profile players, such as former Manchester United and City forward Carlos Tevez. Such levels of spending didn’t last.

But the Saudi Pro League believes it is built on more solid foundations.

“The league is well established, going since the 1970s, and clubs have a real fanbase who care about football which makes it authentic and not artificial,” a senior league source told BBC Sport.

“When it happened in China, it wasn’t explicitly government money. It was about encouraging entrepreneurs to do things. Then that stopped. Here the funding is more secure and part of a long-term plan. The clubs are well established in the local communities and football across the country is by far the number one sport.

“Although the league has a fair amount of foreign players, it’s the big stars who get you worldwide TV coverage. As soon as Ronaldo came in, the league started to be shown in every major market. It gets that immediate attention.

“The announcement that the top four clubs will be 75% owned by PIF, rather than by the state, turns them into a proper business. It is not just about bringing in top players but also about changing the economy of the game here to make it more private sector and develop clubs and companies and brands.

“The Ronaldo transfer proved it can happen. It is one thing to say ‘we are going to sign the best players in the world’ but for someone of Ronaldo’s status to actually come, live in Riyadh and play every game, was a surprise to people and showed we could get other people to come.”

Is Europe worried about a talent drain?

For European football, the rise of the Saudi Pro League presents a challenge.

Losing key players is not a new experience – China and Major League Soccer have tempted stars away in the past. However, the departure of players in their prime, such as Neves, is a concern.

If he can pick up the kind of eye-watering salary speculated at, how do European clubs respond? Even among the top 20 in Deloitte’s rich-list, funds are not limitless and financial regulations have to be adhered to. If they try to compete over an extended period, it would materially impact clubs’ biggest outlay – salaries.

And what about the Champions League? If it’s pre-eminence as a club competition started to be undermined by an absence of world football’s biggest names, could clubs from outside Europe be offered entries?

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin doesn’t see it that way. “It’s mainly a mistake for Saudi Arabian football,” he told Dutch broadcaster NOS. “They should invest in academies, bring their own coaches and develop their own players.

“The system of buying players that are almost at the end of their career is not the system that develops football. It was a similar mistake in China when they all brought players who are at the end of their career.

“It’s not only about money. Players want to win top competitions. And the top competition is in Europe.”

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Kante has struggled with injuries and made nine appearances for Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign.

He will join Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad after his fellow Frenchman left Real Madrid and agreed a three-year deal with them this month.

The move brings to an end a highly successful period in English football for Kante.

He helped Leicester City win the Premier League in the 2015-16 season before moving to Stamford Bridge. At Chelsea Kante won the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup.

He was named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year for 2016-17.

He also played a key role as France won the World Cup in 2018.

Kante has signed a three-year contract with the club worth a reported £86m.

Kante joins Benzema and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

Several high-profile players have been linked with a move to one of Saudi Arabia’s top sides. But on Tuesday Spurs forward Son Heung-min said he did not want to move to the country and and earlier this month Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami, turning down a more lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.

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Luiz was sent off against his former club for shoving Tammy Abraham in the penalty area as the Chelsea striker looked set to score following a terrible backpass by Shkodran Mustafi when the game was goalless.

Jorginho scored from the resulting spot-kick before 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli scored a brilliant equaliser after a slip by N’Golo Kante only for Cesar Azpilicueta to restore Chelsea’s lead late on.

Yet 10-man Arsenal capped a spirited display when Hector Bellerin marked his return from injury with a dramatic equaliser from the edge of the penalty area.

“To do that against this kind of opponent in this stadium, I really value,” Gunners boss Arteta told BBC Sport. “The way they have done it, with the spirit they have done it, that’s great.

“I wasn’t here a few weeks ago but what I am demanding every day they are trying their best to do it. The togetherness and leadership they showed today, this is what I wanted to see.

“We are going in the right direction but I think tonight is a special night for everybody.”

Arsenal remain 10 points off a Champions League spot and, despite this battling performance, they have won just one of their last eight Premier League games. They also face the prospect of finishing outside the top six for the first time since 1994-95.

In addition, Arteta remains without an away win since taking charge in December yet he witnessed a gutsy response from his side, who played better with 10 men than they did with 11.

Luiz, who has given away three penalties in the Premier League this season – more than any other player – was left with little choice after Mustafi’s under-hit pass let in Abraham.

Mustafi made up for his error with a clearance from a Chelsea corner which allowed Martinelli to burst forward and, after Kante’s slip in the centre circle, produce a sublime finish under Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea looked like they had secured a first top-flight double over their London neighbours in four years when Azpilicueta restored their lead in the closing minutes but Arteta’s side were not done.

Having dropped 13 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, they showed a determination that has been missing and, with just their second shot of the game, Bellerin rifled in an equaliser to seal a fourth successive away league draw.

“We showed big character,” Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, who moved to defence after Luiz’s red card, said.

“A lot of people say we have no character in the team. We showed in this game we have.”

This result will feel like a defeat for Frank Lampard and his Chelsea players.

Even before Luiz’s dismissal and Jorginho’s goal from the spot, the Blues dominated and should have been ahead after a hesitant start by the Gunners.

Having lost to a 93rd-minute goal at Newcastle on Saturday, Chelsea came flying out of the blocks.

Andreas Christensen headed wide from a corner when the Denmark defender should have done better while Abraham was six yards out when he nodded another early chance straight at Leno.

Callum Hudson-Odoi hit the top of the bar with a looping cross before Chelsea – who forced 17 corners and peppered Arsenal’s goal with 19 shots – eventually took the lead.

Yet Chelsea have managed just three clean sheets in the last 15 league and cup games and their failure to take their chances came back to haunt them.

On a disappointing night for the hosts, Abraham had to be helped off the pitch at full-time after colliding with an advertising board in the closing moments of the game.

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Chelsea took the lead when 20-year-old midfielder Mason Mount scored a memorable first goal for the Blues after robbing Ndidi of possession just outside the Foxes penalty area before beating Kasper Schmeichel with a low drive.

Lampard’s side started with real intent, Spain forward Pedro volleying into the side-netting and France midfielder N’Golo Kante denied a goal against his former club by Christian Fuchs’ fine challenge either side of Mount’s goal.

Leicester were much better after half-time and secured the point their second-half dominance warranted when Ndidi got between Spain right-back Cesar Azpilicueta and France defender Kurt Zouma to head in from a corner.

Both teams remain without a win, with Leicester on two points from two games, one more than Chelsea.

“It felt great, it is a special moment for me to come back to the club and manage them at Stamford Bridge,” said Lampard, who was appointed Blues boss in the summer.

“For me it is a huge thing, but my focus today was on the match and trying to win.

“Thanks very much to the fans, I appreciate that, but I am here to do a job and here to try and win for the club and we can do better than we did today.”

Despite opening the season with their biggest Old Trafford defeat against Manchester United since 1965, there was a carnival atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge to welcome a Chelsea icon returning to manage the club he spent 13 years playing for.

Lampard’s image adorned the front cover of the programme, while the 41-year-old was greeted by the sight of a huge blue-and-white ‘Welcome Home Super Frank’ banner when he emerged from the tunnel before kick-off.

Flames from black boxes leapt into the sky as Stamford Bridge reverberated to the sound of Chelsea fans singing ‘Super Frank Lampard’.

There were placards and scarves too and it was not long before the veteran of 648 Chelsea appearances was punching the air in celebration after Mount punished Ndidi’s hesitancy after the Nigeria midfielder received the ball from Jonny Evans.

Despite the heavy 4-0 defeat, Chelsea had started the game well at Old Trafford last week, hitting the woodwork twice before falling away badly.

Chelsea faded in this game too, especially in comparison to the aggressive start they made in the upbeat atmosphere created by Lampard’s return – although their midweek Super Cup exertions in Turkey may have been a factor.

While Leicester failed to muster a shot on target in the first-half, Chelsea managed three in the opening seven minutes including Mount’s goal, a superb low finish that left Schmeichel flat-footed.

Fuchs’ challenge to deny his former team-mate Kante was pivotal, while Mount headed another opportunity at Schmeichel before Leicester responded strongly to take the shine off Lampard’s return.

Leicester are without a Premier League win in four games in a run that stretches back to last season, but their impressive second-half showing will leave Brendan Rodgers with optimism for the season ahead.

As poor as the Foxes were in the first half, they dominated after the interval and there will be a touch of disappointment they did not go on to seal victory.

Having managed just one shot in the opening 45 minutes, Leicester had 11 attempts in the second half of the match.

There are now few survivors from their legendary 2015-16 title-winning side, but in James Maddison, Rodgers has a player around whom he can build another impressive Foxes team.

The 22-year-old was the stand-out player in the game, not just content to distribute the ball intelligently but also threaten in the Chelsea box himself.

Maddison, who was called into the England squad last season, rounded Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga but from the byline could not pick out a team-mate to apply the finish.

However he then delivered the corner that Ndidi headed home for the equaliser as Chelsea were caught cold.

The former Norwich player blazed a late chance to win the game over the bar but, while the game seemed to pass title-winning hero Jamie Vardy by, Maddison’s energy and creativity bodes well for Leicester’s future.

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The France international missed Chelsea’s previous two games with a hamstring injury but returned to training last week.

Chelsea manager Sarri was confident he would be fit for the club’s season-ending showpiece in the Azerbaijan capital.

Both the Times and Guardian newspapers reported that Kante had twisted his knee during a training session on Saturday and was not likely to recover in time for the final.

The 28-year-old’s absence is a blow for Sarri, who is already without the services of defender Antonio Rudiger, midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi due to injuries.

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The Belgium forward put the Blues 2-1 up on aggregate as they overturned a first-leg deficit, although they needed penalties to beat Spurs following Fernando Llorente’s goal.

Sarri said Hazard “has to do more” earlier in the week. After the game, Hazard said: “It doesn’t matter what the manager said.”

Chelsea will play Manchester City in the Wembley final on Sunday, 24 February. Spurs had won the first leg 1-0 at home but N’Golo Kante and Hazard goals put Chelsea ahead overall before Llorente’s header forced a shootout, which the Blues won 4-2.

In the build-up to the game, Sarri had also said: “I prefer him [Hazard] when he speaks with his feet.

“The potential is higher than the performances, I think. He has to respect, first of all, himself.”

When Hazard was asked about Sarri’s comments, he told Sky Sports: “I don’t care. I just play my football. I just want to do my best for this team.”

Sarri is the fourth Chelsea manager to reach the League Cup final in his first season in charge.

After last weekend’s 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, Italian Sarri said he was “angry” and his players “lacked determination”.

But after the win over Spurs, he said: “I didn’t attack my players. I said only that we had a problem. The problem was the motivation. We reacted very well in this match. Now we have to show continuity.

“Hazard was very good, especially for 60-65 minutes. Wonderful.

“I was very happy with the performance of the team. We reacted very well. The players had a very good level of determination so I was very happy with the level of performance. I think that in 180 minutes in the two matches we deserved to go to the final.”

Neither Sarri, nor Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, have ever won a major trophy in their managerial career.

Sarri, 60, managed 17 Italian teams – mostly smaller clubs – before an impressive, albeit trophy-less, three seasons with Napoli.

“If you say that I have never won anything at this level you are right, but now I’m in Chelsea, so in another way I won,” said Sarri.

“We will try but it’s really very difficult against Manchester City. In my opinion City are the best team in Europe so it will be very difficult.”

The Blues have won 15 major trophies in the 16 years since Roman Abramovich took over as owner.

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Maurizio Sarri’s side bounced back from the disappointment of losing at Wolves in midweek to end City’s 21-game unbeaten league run stretching back to April, and a sequence of 14 unbeaten games away from home.

City paid for a lack of ruthlessness as they dominated the first half completely, only to be struck by a Chelsea smash-and-grab right on half-time as N’Golo Kante fired high past Ederson from Eden Hazard’s pass.

Chelsea gained confidence and momentum and improved after the break, securing the win with 12 minutes left when David Luiz’s glancing header following a corner bounced in off the far post.

They closed out the win to give Sarri his first triumph over Pep Guardiola and leave Liverpool top by one point following their convincing 4-0 win at Bournemouth earlier.

City’s multi-talented squad can cover almost all eventualities, but this was a game in which they sorely missed the marksmanship of the injured Sergio Aguero, and also Kevin de Bruyne’s creation.

Guardiola’s side were on another level to Chelsea for the first 44 minutes but when chances presented themselves, as they did to both Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, there was either hesitation or an inability to provide the final product that proved crucial.

This is not a criticism of either Sterling or Sane but there was a lingering feeling that had the same opportunities to the predatory Aguero, the outcome would have been different.

City could not recover from Kante’s sucker punch and it was Chelsea who were the more dangerous side in the second half.

Guardiola’s men must now regroup after a defeat that will be a major disappointment but one hardly likely to set City back for too long.

Kante’s outstanding performance, including the opening goal, was vindication for Sarri’s decision to play him in a new role this season.

Sarri has been questioned for his decision to use Jorginho as the hub of his team while pushing Kante into a more advanced role out on the right. Why have the player many regard as the finest holding midfield player in world football and not utilise him there?

Sarri has stuck to his guns and this was a game – and performance by Kante – that added significant weight to his argument.

The France World Cup winner was magnificent, typically tireless but also getting into forward positions, most decisively when he arrived on the end of Hazard’s inviting pass to power a finish past Ederson that gave the Brazilian no chance.

It is certainly not the end of the argument, but evidence Sarri can use that he is coming up with the right formula for Chelsea.

This was a vital, some might say unexpected, win for Chelsea given their indifferent recent form, and they certainly lived on their nerves for the first 44 minutes as City’s passing and mobility pulled them all over Stamford Bridge.

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