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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we might see different leagues adopt different dates for the 2020 transfer window.
The Premier League and La Liga are expected to open their respective transfer windows later this month, following the completion of their rescheduled campaigns. The Serie A, however, despite their season finishing in the first week of August, have announced that their transfer window will not open before September 1.
The recently-culminated Bundesliga is set to kick-start their transfer season on 15 July and while the Ligue 1 has allowed for domestic transfers to take place already, we are still awaiting confirmation regarding the official dates for their transfer window.
Despite the discrepancy in the commencement of the transfer windows of Europe’s top five leagues, UEFA has asked all of its members to adopt an October 5 deadline. The official date of registering players for next season’s Champions League and Europa League has been set as October 6 by the governing body, which could see associated leagues consent to the harmonised October 5 deadline.
Despite the official dates yet to be established, we are witnessing a flurry of transfer rumours and gossip surfacing on social media and tabloids each day. Plenty of transfers have already taken place with the swap deal involving Arthur and Miralem Pjanic dominating headlines.
The coronavirus outbreak has severely hit the finances of clubs and we could see a stark reduction in the amount of big-money moves which were so very prevalent before the pandemic. Clubs could, therefore, turn their eyes to the free agents whose contracts at their respective clubs have expired.
In this section, we take a look at ten of the most high-profile players who are available for nothing this summer.
#10 Giacomo Bonaventura
AC Milan midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura turns 31 next month and is set to depart the Italian giants after six years at the club. Milan have not offered him a contract extension in what has been an injury-riddled stint for him at the San Siro. Last season, a long-term knee injury in October kept him out for the entire campaign.
This season, however, he has scored 4 goals in 22 competitive appearances but Milan are set to part ways with him. Torino, Fiorentina, Arsenal and former club Atalanta are all monitoring his situation but Bonaventura is currently hoping to finish the season strongly with Milan.
Italian newspaper Tuttosport is claiming that Toro remain favourites for his signature, with a two-year contract worth €1.75m per season already on the table.
#9 Adam Lallana
Adam Lallana is set to call off his time at Liverpool at the end of this season following a memorable six-year spell at the club. The Englishman recently signed a short-term contract extension which will allow him to complete the league campaign but he will definitely depart Anfield as a free agent before the start of next season.
The 32-year-old midfielder was one of Liverpool’s key players under Brendan Rodgers and during the initial years under Klopp, however, he has played a peripheral role in the Reds’ Champions League and Premier League triumphs. Although fans will fondly remember his equalising goal at Manchester United this season which will go down as a key moment in the title race.
Jurgen Klopp is reportedly replacing Adam Lallana with highly-rated youngster Curtis Jones, who has greatly impressed in the domestic cups. Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Leicester City and Burnley are all interested in acquiring Lallana on a free transfer this summer.
#8 Ryan Fraser
Ryan Fraser’s season came to a premature halt after Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe confirmed that the want-away winger has already played his last game for the club.
The 26-year-old winger has been one of Cherries’ stand-out performers of the last two campaigns. He was named Bournemouth’s Player of the Year for his sensational 2018/19 season, in which he recorded 7 goals and 14 assists in the Premier League.
Bournemouth are languishing in the relegation zone this season and are primed for the drop. Howe will have surely wanted Fraser in his ranks for the remainder of the campaign but it looks like the Scotsman is on the hunt for a new club following the expiration of his contract.
Premier League trio Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Everton are all linked with the diminutive attacker, but Celtic are positioned as favourites for his signature.
#7 Jose Callejon
Napoli have reportedly decided that it is time to let go of star-winger Jose Callejon after the 33-year-old’s contract expired on 30 June. The Spaniard has been a principal figure at the San Paulo Stadium ever since his arrival from Real Madrid in 2013. His partnership with Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne up-front is often heralded as one of the most lethal trios of European football.
Contrasting reports by Corriere dello Sport have claimed that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is keen on renewing Callejon’s contract which could see the attacker stay put at the club for another two years. Mertens’ recent contract extension could also play a key role in making that happen.
The 33-year-old has 81 goals and 77 assists in 339 competitive games for the Partenopei and has won two Coppa Italias and one Supercoppa Italiana in his time at Naples.
Spanish clubs Sevilla, Real Betis, Villarreal and former club Espanyol are all battling for his services with Premier League duo Aston Villa and Everton also keen. Callejon, however, could play for Napoli till the end of the season ‘for free’, as per Calciomercato.it.
#6 Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze’s fall from grace is referred to as the greatest in world football with the scorer of the World Cup-winning goal for Germany six years ago has now been released by his boyhood club Borussia Dortmund as a free agent. The 28-year-old was predicted to be one of the best midfielders in the game but injury concerns, health problems and lack of consistency and form meant that his graph declined significantly.
Gotze entered the limelight at a very young age as he played a pivotal role in Dortmund’s back-to-back Bundesliga triumphs in 2011 and 2012. Bayern Munich quickly snapped him up but he enjoyed a bittersweet spell with the Bavarians before returning back to Dortmund.
This season, the playmaker featured just 15 times in the Bundesliga, and most of his appearances were from the bench. Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc revealed in May that Gotze will leave the club at the end of the season.
A particularly high-profile rumour linking him with a move to Liverpool has come up in the past few months. In what could be a dream reunion for Mario Gotze and Jurgen Klopp, the German star could well and truly reignite his career at Anfield.
#5 Jan Vertonghen
Perhaps Tottenham Hotspur’s most reliable player for the better part of a decade, Jan Vertonghen is touted to pack his bags at the end of the current campaign. The Belgian was an unused substitute in Spurs’ opening two games after the restart and it looks like he is no longer in Jose Mourinho’s plans for next season.
Vertonghen’s ‘phasing out’ by Tottenham seems harsh on the centre-back, who has been ever-present for the club since his arrival from Ajax in 2012. He has made 311 appearances for the club, scoring 14 goals and providing 7 assists from defense. He has been deployed as a centre-half and a full-back during his time in North London, which represents his versatility and adaptability.
There is no arguing the fact that Jan Vertonghen will attract attention from many top European clubs this summer. He has already been linked with a return to Ajax and a possible move to Roma but for now, he has penned a short-term contract extension at Tottenham which could see him make his final appearance for the club in the coming weeks.
#4 Thiago Silva
Paris Saint-Germain club-captain Thiago Silva is set to embark on a new challenge in what could be the last big move of his celebrated career. The 35-year-old centre-back has been lauded as one of Europe's greatest defenders in the recent past having won multiple trophies in Italy, in France and with the Brazilian national team.
Silva was reportedly puzzled at the club's decision to not renew his contract but he will stay on until the end of the season. His desire to win the Champions League with the Parisians took priority as he penned down a short-term contract extension recently. But it will be interesting to see where he ends up next season.
Mikel Arteta is keen to shore up his defence with some high-profile reinforcements at the back and Thiago Silva seems to be one of the most-wanted targets for Arsenal.
#3 Willian
Willian’s performances after the Premier League restart would surely send Chelsea bosses into rethinking his contract situation.
The Brazilian’s future at Stamford Bridge has been uncertain for a while with his deal expiring at the end of the season. Fellow winger Pedro has already pledged his services to Roma next season and with the likes of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech arriving in the summer, Willian’s position as a regular starter in the squad will get severely hampered.
The 31-year-old attacker has made over 330 appearances for the English giants with 60 goals and assists each. In his time in London, he has won two Premier League titles, one Europa League and one FA and League Cup each.
It comes as no surprise that Willian is one of the transfer window’s hottest prospects with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all wanting him. Long-term suitors Barcelona might also be interested in acquiring him for free this summer.
#2 David Silva
Manchester City’s iconic midfielder David Silva is set to call off his illustrious decade at the club at the end of the season. The 34-year-old revealed at the start of the campaign that it will be his last in the sky blue jersey. Silva is regarded by many as the greatest Spanish player to ever set foot on English soil having won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League cups during his time at Eastlands.
He is the seventh-highest assist provider in Premier League history with 90 to his name, above the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry and four less than Arsenal legend Denis Bergkamp. Silva could still play at the highest level given his immaculate understanding of the game, with offers from around the world starting to pop up for the left-footed playmaker.
A potential move to the United States and Japan could be on the cards while a return to La Liga might also be a viable move for David Silva as he prepares for a tear-jerking farewell at the Etihad.
#1 Edinson Cavani
Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time record goalscorer Edinson Cavani is on the hunt for a new club after sporting director Leonardo officially announced his departure from the French capital. The Uruguayan front-man served the Parisians for seven years but the arrival of Mauro Icardi last summer meant that he had to fight for his position up-front.
The 33-year-old has established himself as one of the best strikers in modern football with a stunning goalscoring record in Italy and in France. There will be no shortage of admirers for the talismanic forward, with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Roma and Inter Milan all wanting to land the free agent.
Cavani is no doubt the most decorated name in the list of this summer’s free transfers and it will be interesting to see where he ends up before the start of next season.
