Julien Laurens explains Paul Pogba’s state of mind following a season which occasionally saw strained relationships with manager Jose Mouinho.
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop delves into rumours surrounding Neymar, Willian, Anthony Martial and more in Transfer Rater.
With the transfer window open, David Amoyal sorts through the speculation and rates how likely the rumoured moves are to take place.
Anthony Martial to Chelsea: 35 percent
The young French forward struggled this season under Jose Mourinho, and talk of him leaving the Red Devils is getting louder. Among the many clubs interested in him are Chelsea, in a deal that could involve Willian, who is reported to be unhappy with Antonio Conte’s style of football. Despite the tense relationship between the two coaches, United and Chelsea have a good transfer history (see: Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata), so the idea of a deal between this season’s FA Cup finalists may not be that far-fetched.
Alex Sandro to Manchester United: 30 percent
While the Red Devils are interested in signing the Brazilian left back, reports that a deal with Juventus has been reached appear premature. The Serie A champions have a lot of uncertainty at the wing-back position considering Kwadwo Asamoah is set to join Inter, Stephan Lichtestiner announced he’s leaving and Leonardo Spinzazzola just had surgery to his ACL — so they may decide to try to extend Alex Sandro’s contract after all. On the plus side for Manchester United, Juventus do have interest in Matteo Darmian, who is expected to return to Serie A this summer
Marouane Fellaini to Milan: 30 percent
Considering the Rossoneri are expected to be hampered by Financial Fair Play rules after their spending spree last summer, it’s no surprise to see them linked to players whose contracts are set to expire. After Pepe Reina and Ivan Strinic, Milan are targeting Fellaini, who is expected to leave Manchester United on a free transfer. But the Belgian midfielder is seeking annual wages of €10 million, and that’s out of Milan’s range. Fellaini has lucrative offers from Turkey as well, so it remains to be seen if he’ll lower his demands to come play in Serie A.
Gigi Buffon to Paris Saint-Germain: 85 percent
While many expected the legendary Italian keeper to retire this summer, his strong performances and Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup have changed his plans. PSG were on the market for a keeper, but with Financial Fair Play it was hard to envision them being able to land someone as expensive as Alisson or Gianluigi Donnarumma. Buffon is expected to arrive on a free transfer, while not being a long-term threat to Alphone Areola’s development. Moving to PSG would give Buffon one more shot at the Champions League and an expected role as an ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar.
Nabil Fekir to Liverpool: 60 percent
Lyon fans gave him a standing ovation in the French side’s last game of the season, as it seems very likely that Fekir won’t be at the club for much longer. Liverpool are in fact close to reaching an agreement to bring the 24-year-old Frenchman to Anfield for a sum in the region of £60 million, and the deal could be closed right after the Champions League final.
Emre Can to Juventus: 90 percent
Juventus faced intense competition from numerous clubs for the German midfielder’s signature, but the fact they could offer him a guaranteed starting spot and a key role in their changing midfield, in addition to a five-year deal, gave them an important edge. The deal is expected to be announced after the Champions League final, a fact essentially confirmed by Juventus executive director Beppe Marotta last weekend.
Alvaro Morata back to Serie A: 50 percent
The Spanish striker had arguably the two best seasons of his career at Juventus from 2014-16, and when you consider that his wife is Italian, he has multiple reasons to want to return to Serie A. Morata has maintained a strong bond with Juventus — last summer he decided not to pursue a move to Milan out of respect to the black and white colors — and with Mario Mandzukic potentially leaving, there could be an important role waiting for him on Massimiliano Allegri’s squad. Juventus likely will look to follow the framework of the deal they negotiated with Chelsea for Juan Cuadrado: a two-year loan with option to buy. Milan also are interested in rekindling talks to acquire Morata to lead their attack.
Suso back to the Premier League: 50 percent
The former Liverpool winger has an exit clause worth €40 million, a reasonable amount when you consider his ability and the going rate for players at his position, and he recently left the door open to agreeing to a transfer should Milan not be able to compete with top teams in Italy. While Suso would likely get more playing time with other Premier League clubs, he has said he would be interested in returning to Liverpool.
Federico Chiesa to Manchester City: 30 percent
Chiesa’s performances this season made him a transfer target for Napoli, who offered close to €50 million to acquire him in January, but at the moment Fiorentina are adamant they’ll be able to keep him at least until summer 2019. Still, Pep Guardiola is very interested in Chiesa, and a deal could be reached should Manchester City increase the bid Napoli made and/or offer some of their prospects as part of the package.
Milan Skriniar to Barcelona: 25 percent
The Slovak defender’s strong performances in Serie A the past two seasons have made him a target for top clubs in Europe — and considering he’s only 23, it’s no surprise that his valuation has soared. While Inter will get some relief from their Financial Fair Play issues after qualifying for the Champions League, they could consider a huge bid for Skriniar considering they have Stefan de Vrij incoming and Miranda had a strong second half to the season for them. Barcelona could have an advantage over Manchester City because Inter are also interested in redeeming Rafinha’s rights from them.
David covers transfer news for ESPN FC and works for Gianluca Di Marzio’s website. Twitter: @DavidAmoyal.
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