With the likes of Neymar, Paul Pogba, Christian Eriksen and Paulo Dybala still in demand, the transfer window’s final few days are going to be hectic for the big European clubs. The European transfer merry-go-round has a few rounds to turn yet.
Europe’s Transfer Merry-Go-Round
Coutinho a Catalyst
The current transfer window has already sprung up some big moves and a few more could be concluded soon as Philippe Coutinho moving to Bavaria could act as a catalyst for more moves to come. The most obvious move following Coutinho’s sale would be the signing of Neymar from Paris Saint Germain by Barcelona. The Brazilian ace is keen on a move back to Catalonia and Lionel Messi is pushing the board for the same. However, the French champions are willing to sell their capital investment to anybody but their Spanish counterparts. Coutinho’s wages being taken off the books, Neymar’s enormous salary can now be accommodated in Barcelona’s books. This becomes important since Barcelona was close to reaching the salary cap allowed to clubs by La Liga.
Should the Neymar fiasco end with him returning to Barcelona, PSG’s interest in Paulo Dybala could materialise into a move. The Argentine want’s to stay in Turin but the Turin club are keen on moving him on. Juventus themselves are seen as outsiders to sign Neymar in some sort of a swap deal with the Argentine involved. This interest is replicated by Real Madrid as Florentino Perez looks to realise his dream of bringing the Brazilian to the Spanish Capital.
The Serie A Striking Conundrum
Gonzalo Higuain is supposedly on the market. Mauro Icardi is still unwanted at Inter and their manager has shown an interest in wantaway Manchester United forward- Alexis Sanchez. It seems like Serie A sides are looking to swap strikers all around.
Mauro Icardi continues to express his love for the club he’s employed at but his coach Antonio Conte is having none of it. Inter have already signed Romelu Lukaku on persisting requests from their manager. They are also looking to get Alexis Sanchez on a loan to bolster their forward line. This leaves Icardi with little option but to move. Roma, Napoli and Juventus are all seen as potential destinations for the Argentine. With Edin Dzeko committing his future to the Roma, Napoli are now favourites to land the Icardi. Inter are also interested in signing Fernando Llorente who’s contract at Tottenham Hotspur ended last season and is so available for free.
Napoli themselves have finalised a deal to sign Hirving Lozano from PSV and the pacy forward will look to establish himself in Italy playing under Carlo Ancelotti. Napoli will be looking to challenge for the title along with Juventus and Inter. A striker of Icardi’s capabilities will certainly add some muscle to the frontline.
The Premier League Stars Wanting Out
The Premier League’s transfer window shut before the season started and not all managers are happy with that. Mauricio Pochettino has voiced his displeasure with the system and highlighted that it hinders the English sides in the market. This comes against the league’s view of having a settled squad before the season starts. However, that’s debatable. Just as uncertainty exists on incoming players while the season starts, it also creeps in if key members of the squad are still looking for a way out. This puts managers in a sticky situation with not knowing whether to have those players in their plans or not.
This situation is certainly prevalent in the case of Pochettino and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Both managers have their star midfielders keen to leave. Both seem puzzled as to whether they should include their stars in the starting line-ups. In the case of Paul Pogba, the United manager has backed the Frenchman to remain in Manchester and be a key part of his plans this season. However, the players himself has self-imposed a ‘question mark’ over his future. Zinedine Zidane still wants the Frenchman to refresh his midfield despite Florentino Perez wanting Neymar to highlight this summer’s business. The president is also not supportive of Pogba’s purchase because he sees Eriksen as a cheaper alternative with not much difference in output.
So Eriksen is dependent on Pogba’s final decision, which makes Pochettino dependent on Eriksen’s decision. Too many possibilities and probabilities are in play at the moment. The transfer window is still in full flow.
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