As the season comes to an end, we investigate some of the rumours around players and which moves could potentially materialise. The list is not an exhaustive one; we have singled out a few that might stand out from others. Make sure to check the LV BET Sports Blog for more information and up-to-date information about transfers.
Declan Rice
West Ham’s commander-in-chief and England international, is most likely to move away from the London Stadium after many clubs are reportedly keen on acquiring his services. The 24-year-old has been impressive in the last two-to-three years, showing great awareness to sniff out dangerous moves and also has the ability to stretch his legs forward and progress play into the opponent’s half. His market value at the moment is estimated at £80 million, with the Hammers looking to squeeze past the £100 million mark, especially if Arsenal or Man United approach. The Gunners are currently leading the way, but our bet would be that a deal is far from being settled, and this would drag on well into summer.
Mason Mount
Recent stories have emerged that he is unlikely to continue with Chelsea after not featuring this season and hoping to find another club that could offer regular football. Maurizio Pochettino will surely want to keep him, but it will be a decision by the player that ultimately sways this one way or another. The likely suitors are Manchester United, but they might not be willing to splash the £70 M requested by rivals Chelsea. Erik ten Hag will hope that the takeover drama is sorted as soon as possible as that would give him ample time to plan and execute a way forward for his team.
Moises Caicedo
The Ecuadorian international voiced his desire to jump ship in the January transfer window, where he even missed training to force a move but Brighton wanted to keep him until summer and give them time to plan for his replacement. Now that the summer transfer window is approaching, the main clubs are on the prowl again like Arsenal and potentially Chelsea, who needs someone like Caicedo to sit deep and give license to record-breaking signing Enzo Fernandez to roam forward and impose his authority. Arsenal are linked with a lot of midfield players and it would be interesting to see which one they go for, especially when considering the outlay of money needed to land these superstars.
Alexis McAllister
The world-cup winner is very likely to move clubs in the summer, with many reports claiming that he is destined to join Liverpool. The Reds had a tough time this season, especially in the midfield, luring in Arthur Melo which did not go to plan, injuries to Thiago and Bajcetic. So Jurgen Klopp will be keen on acquiring McAllister, should it be within an attainable fee, and one would think that Liverpool need McAllister to propel them back up the standings rather than Jude Bellingham, which would cost a fortune. By the looks of it, Liverpool are the only real candidate for his signature, with Roberto de Zerbi already planning life without the Argentinian.
Ilkay Gundogan
He is somewhat of a surprise name on the list, given what an influential role he has played in the last few weeks of the season for Man City. His contract runs out at the end of June 2023, and Man City are not looking to extend his contract further than stipulated. Ilkay Gundogan has lifted his fifth Premier League title with Man City after being one of the first players to have signed with the blue half of Manchester when Pep took over. The team that would most likely pursue the German, is Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, who was the assistant manager at City some time ago. It would be the third player that Arsenal has signed from Man City after Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, but this time he would go on a free transfer. I think it would be a no-brainer for Arsenal to go for Gundogan; an experienced and high-quality player in the engine room could only improve the team even more. The only thing that could come in the way of Arsenal signing Gundogan is if Bayern Munich comes calling; him being a German, that might play a major role in his decision.
Neymar
The PSG star is looking for a move away from France after a somewhat disappointing spell. The Brazilian superstar has evolved his game and has undeniable qualities on the ball that any top club would love to have on his side. The only issue is, his age and his astronomical wages restricting his options for a move. Many are reporting that he might join a Premier League team, which could be either Manchester United or Newcastle United. Both teams are looking to build a very competitive team and they might not be willing to take on such a demanding superstar that might hinder or restrict their progress.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has had a magnificent tournament with Argentina winning the tournament for the first time in his career. The mood when he returned to PSG was sour as fans started to ‘boo’ him for his sub-par performances after they saw him extinguish France’s hopes of winning the FIFA World Cup again. He is rumoured to be on the way to the Saud league. FC Barcelona would love to welcome back their icon and superstar but, financially, they are down in the slumps and would not afford his return. Al-Hilal are rumoured to have tabled a lucrative offer, which could be one of the biggest yet. Will we see Messi against Ronaldo in the Saudi league?
Jude Bellingham
The young Englishman has been linked with all the major clubs around Europe, primarily Liverpool but they pulled out of a potential deal due to the price tag. Currently, the market value is around £125 million which for a 19-year-old who has proved that he is the real deal could well be a good deal given he delivers on his potential. Now leading the race for his signature are Real Madrid, who have both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric edging closer to the end of their illustrious career. Florentino Perez would want to keep the trend going of having the best players possible in every position and with Tchouameni, Camavinga, Jude Bellingham and Vinicious Jr, he would assemble a mighty line-up. The deal is far from sealed, but both parties are confident that it would eventually go through.
Harry Kane
A storyline that is revisited in every transfer window, Harry Kane’s future and how long is he willing to stay at Tottenham Hotspurs. This year, they made a step back from what they achieved last year as a team, which might prompt him to take the difficult decision and move. After being heavily linked with Manchester City last summer, the other half of Manchester are now monitoring the situation of England’s skipper. In a team that has not qualified for Europe next season, Kane scored 28 goals having an average of 0.76 goals per 90. His achievement this season is dwarfed by the Norwegian Erling Haaland. If he remains with Tottenham Hotspurs for next season, he will end his career with the club. This summer will be crucial for Harry Kane.
Viktor Osimhen
Manchester United’s alternative for Harry Kane is the Nigerian Viktor Osimhen, who has lit up the Serie A with Napoli. He scored a total of 23 goals this season playing 30 games in total. He is a versatile player that can hold up play, link with wingers and attacking midfielders as well as possessing the explosive pace to run in behind the opposition. The valuation might look too much, but as the transfer market becomes more and more inflated, figures of £100 million will become a common occurrence. He is still young at 24-years and could propel Manchester United to Premier League contenders with his killer instinct in front of goal.
Harry Maguire
The England international has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester United after a tough time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag, where he featured less and less. Gareth Southgate also commented that the lack of playtime, his place with England will not be guaranteed. Man United paid Leicester City £80 million, but they would know that they won’t be able to recover that sum of money now, maybe £20-30 million. Some reports state that there is interest from West Ham, but this will evolve in the coming months.