It’s August, and that means there’s less than two weeks left in the English transfer window, and the others will close soon after. Which players are likeliest to move before then? David Amoyal rates the top rumours from around world football.
Jordan Pickford to Chelsea: 25 percent
The Blues are looking for a possible replacement for Thibaut Courtois, and, should a deal be struck between the Belgian shot-stopper and Real Madrid, the Englishman would be one of the main candidates for the job. On the flip side, squaring the circle in this deal would not be easy for Chelsea, considering that Everton spent £30 million on Pickford just one year ago and that his displays in Russia doubled his value. In addition, the Toffees seem determined to hold on to their goalkeeper, offering him a rich contract extension. As an alternative to Pickford, Chelsea could pursue Pepe Reina, a player Maurizio Sarri is very familiar with after their time together at Napoli.
Jerome Boateng to Paris Saint-Germain: 40 percent
Ahead of the new season, Bayern Munich are looking to cut what they consider the deadwood from the squad. One of the names on the departures list is that of centre-back Boateng, who has been heavily linked with PSG in the past few weeks. However, the player’s desire to embrace a new professional adventure away from the Bundesliga may be frustrated by Bayern’s asking price of €60m, a sum that cooled down the French side’s interest in the 2010 World Cup winner.
Arturo Vidal to Inter: 55 percent
A clause in the Chilean midfielder’s contract with Bayern Munich makes his potential return to Serie A much more likely. Vidal and the Bundesliga champions have a mutual clause that permits either party to extend the contract by one year to 2020. This would allow Inter to acquire him on loan with an option to buy (the only formula they can use because of Financial Fair Play) since the loan deal wouldn’t end as his contract expires. Inter are willing to pay significantly up front for the loan part, making the total value of the deal around €25m, Vidal has already agreed to terms with the Italian club on a three-year contract.
Hector Herrera to Fulham: 20 percent
As if the signings of Jean Michael Seri, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andre Schurrle weren’t enough to prove their ambition, Fulham are also pursuing Herrera from Porto to bolster their midfield for the upcoming Premier League season. Mexican media report that the Whites already made an offer for Herrera, who has one year left on his contract with the Portuguese side. But the player has recently shown himself open to signing a new contract with the Dragoes, making a move to the Premier League less and less likely to happen.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Chelsea: 15 percent
While Milinkovic-Savic’s appeal on the transfer market has diminished after a fairly disappointing World Cup, he’s been linked to both Manchester clubs, Real Madrid and PSG throughout the summer. Chelsea are now the latest club to make an inquiry, but after receiving a substantial return for Felipe Anderson, it’s unlikely that Lazio will accept a bid below their current asking price of €110m. It remains to be seen if anyone will be willing to come close to that price.
Matteo Darmian to Napoli: 40 percent
Napoli had reached an agreement on personal terms with defender Santiago Arias, but after an injury to starting goalkeeper Alex Meret, the Italian club had to pursue Guillermo Ochoa as an insurance policy. Ochoa would account for the last non-EU slot on the team, and so when it comes to their back line Napoli have decided to target Darmian, a player eager to return to Serie A. So far this summer, Manchester United have insisted on getting back the full amount they invested to acquire the former Torino wing-back. It remains to be seen if with less than two weeks left in the window they’ll accept Napoli’s offer of a loan with an option to buy.
Tiemoue Bakayoko to Milan: 25 percent
The former Monaco’s midfielder’s situation likely won’t get much better at Chelsea after a disappointing first season and since he’s an odd fit in Sarri’s system. Milan are interested but they wouldn’t be able to come close to matching the price the Blues invested to acquire him a year ago, and it remains to be seen if Chelsea would accept a loan with an option to buy. As an alternative, Milan are interested in Salzburg’s Diadie Samassekou, who has just one year left on his contract.
Marko Pjaca to Leicester: 10 percent
After acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo and redeeming the rights to Douglas Costa, Juventus are looking to move the Croatia international following his loan to Schalke. While the Foxes have expressed interest in acquiring him, Pjaca is lukewarm at the prospect of playing in the Premier League. Fiorentina are the current front-runners to acquire him on loan with an option to buy after also agreeing to acquire Stefano Sturaro from Juventus on a straight sale.
Lucas Perez to Frosinone: 45 percent
After an experience at Deportivo, the Spanish striker could be heading to Serie A. Perez was previously linked to Lazio, who went on to sign Joaquin Correa. But after visiting Frosinone’s stadium and training facilities last week, Perez is open to joining the newly promoted club. The last hurdle is getting Arsenal to agree a loan, the only formula that Frosinone can afford at this time.
Pedro Obiang to Sampdoria: 60 percent
After three seasons in the Premier League, the Spanish midfielder could be returning to his former team. But there’s some slight distance between the Italian club’s offer of €10m and West Ham’s demand of €12.5m. The situation could be resolved should Sampdoria offer more in bonuses or a percentage on a future sale.