Philippe Coutinho
Current club: Liverpool • Could join: Barcelona
Liverpool really don’t want to sell their Brazilian talisman this summer, and rejected Barcelona’s no-nonsense €80m bid for him this week. They’ve made it clear that a second offer won’t be welcome, according to the Liverpool Echo’s James Pearce, and don’t fear Coutinho leaving either.
But what if the 25-year-old digs in his heels and demands a move to the Camp Nou? Although the Reds have claimed that he hasn’t handed in a transfer request, news stories have alluded to interest from Coutinho – and possible influence from Neymar. This one might not quite be over just yet.
Kylian Mbappe
Current club: Monaco • Could join: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal
The world’s most sought-after teenager – nay, player – has been at the centre of a media frenzy again this week, after Marca claimed that Real Madrid had agreed a €180m fee for the 18-year-old. Then Monaco said they were negotiating a new contract. L’Equipe said Arsenal hadn’t given up hope. Various outlets claimed that Manchester City would match any offer.
So, er, that’s that cleared up then. Either way, the truth seems to be somewhere in the middle – that each of the clubs above, and probably others, are seriously interested and willing to spend big to get the boy whose bedroom walls were once adorned with pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gareth Bale
Current club: Real Madrid • Could join: Manchester United
Whether anyone really stands a chance of getting Bale partly depends on Real Madrid's prospects of landing Mbappe. Boss Zinedine Zidane has claimed he wants to keep each member of the club’s beloved BBC, but can’t guarantee what might happen before the transfer window shuts.
“I hope the BBC stay for this season,” said the Frenchman. “I hope everyone remains. I want everyone who is here now to stay… but anything can happen right up until August 31.” Los Blancos are rich, but if they’re going to fund a deal for Mbappe then they’ll need some big money. Bale’s sale could provide it – and in Jose Mourinho there’s a willing suitor.
Riyad Mahrez
Current club: Leicester • Could join: Roma, Arsenal, Tottenham
Mahrez may have handed in a transfer request at the King Power Stadium, but Leicester are in no rush to sell their prized asset. They may not do so at all; Craig Shakespeare has publicly stated that he wants the Algerian to stay, while the club as a whole appear adamant that he won’t be let go for much less than £50m.
Roma seem to have leaped to the front of the queue, but their opening offer was significantly short of Leicester’s valuation. They're hoping to tempt the Foxes with a more lucrative deal that involves realistic performance-based add-ons, but with the start of the Premier League season growing ever closer, Arsenal and Tottenham could renew their interest.
Naby Keita
Current club: RB Leipzig • Could join: Liverpool
Keita’s proposed switch to Liverpool has long been this summer’s principal will-he-won’t-he transfer saga, an episode which drags on until the final few days of the window, and by which point everyone is simply desperate for a conclusion one way or another.
Or perhaps not. RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick made some controversial comments about the player’s entourage on Wednesday, while Keita himself was involved in a training-ground bust-up with club captain Diego Demme. Liverpool may sense that their moment to strike has come.
William Carvalho
Current club: Sporting • Could join: Arsenal, Manchester City
Carvalho has seemingly been on the verge of joining Arsenal for years now, but this time the transfer really could happen. The Sporting man has a £40m release clause in his contract, but the Portuguese giants are said to be willing to sell for just £27m.
Reports suggest Arsene Wenger is also looking at Nice’s Jean Michael Seri, so Carvalho to the Emirates isn’t yet nailed on. Manchester City have also been linked this summer – Carvalho's agent is Pep Guardiola's brother, Pere – while West Brom could throw their hat in after trying to land the midfielder 12 months ago.
Ross Barkley
Current club: Everton • Could join: Tottenham
Barkley will “100%” leave Everton this summer, according to boss Ronald Koeman. "His personal situation is not so difficult. We made a really good offer to sign a new contract, he declined that contract and he told me at the end of last season that he's looking for a new challenge,” said the Dutchman this week.
The problem seems to be finding a club that actually wants him. Tottenham have been the most strongly linked, but it seems highly likely that a shrewd negotiator like Daniel Levy would happily wait it out this summer to knock down the Toffees on their asking price for the 23-year-old. Still, it seems a matter of when rather than if right now.
Nemanja Matic
Current club: Chelsea • Could join: Juventus, Manchester United
Matic has been on the verge of a move to Old Trafford for weeks, and that remains the case according to The Telegraph, who also suggest that Jose Mourinho is expecting Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return next season once he’s recovered from injury.
Juventus are also said to be keen on Matic, who didn’t travel on Chelsea’s pre-season tour, but the Serbian would prefer to stay in England and link back up with his former Chelsea boss in Manchester. Mourinho wants the deal completed next week.
Virgil van Dijk
Current club: Southampton • Could join: Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City
Van Dijk has been training alone and hasn’t joined his Southampton team-mates on their pre-season tour of France. “The boy said that he is not available to play because he wants to leave,” said new Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino. “I had to say, 'If you don't want to be involved because you don't feel OK then you have to train alone until this period of time is over'.”
In reality, Southampton have their hands tied – although they hardly want to lose the Dutchman, he had his head turned long ago. In that instance, Southampton reported Liverpool’s illegal advances to the Premier League and the Reds were forced to apologise. But they’re still hovering tentatively and could get their man – if Chelsea and Manchester City don’t get there first.
Jack Wilshere
Current club: Arsenal • Could join: West Ham, Swansea, Newcastle
Actually, the Hammers are yet to declare serious interest in Wilshere – but the well-connected Mirror journalist John Cross has an inkling they might before the summer’s up.
Arsenal’s 25-year-old midfielder only has a year left on his Gunners contract and looks almost certain to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer – although not on the cheap, as Turkish club Antalyaspor found out. “We made an enquiry and are in talks but Arsenal want a lot for Wilshere,” said club president Ali Safak Ozturk. “It will be a difficult move to pull off.”
Sampdoria have also found out the hard way, pulling out over Wilshere’s wage demands according to Calciomercato. Swansea and Newcastle, along with West Ham, are said to be interested in a loan deal.
