5 big transfers of the summer that never happened

The 2018 Summer Transfer window saw some big names switching alliances. Some changed clubs within their league, while few others moved to a new league. There was a lot of money involved, and the Premier League stood tall as always, spending a net 877.9m. The commercialisation of Football has seen the spending powers of the clubs increase by leaps and bounds over the years and as such, many clubs now have the financial backing to complete the transfers of their choice regardless of the money involved.

However, every year, there are a few rumours which make everyone sit up and take notice, not just because of the sheer money involved, but also because it would be a statement of intent from the buyer. These are transfer rumours which involve few of the biggest names in football and thus generate a massive amount of interest. However, even with the progress of the window, these rumours show no signs of materialising, yet they refuse to die and drag on until the end of the transfer window.

This year, owing to the early arrival of the Transfer Deadline Day in the Premier League, some of these rumours had an abrupt ending well ahead of their time. But since the European Transfer Window was still open, some of they lived on, yet did not materialise. With less than 48 hours remaining of the European Transfer Window, we look at the five hottest transfer rumours that ruled the headlines this summer but never happened.

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#5 Nabil Fekir to Liverpool

Olympique Lyonnais v AC Milan - Preseason Friendly

Liverpool was about to sign Nabil Fekir for £53m from Lyon at the start of the summer. The player had a medical at Anfield and even did an interview for the Premier League club. However, much to everyone's surprise, the deal was not completed. The clubs had reached an agreement and apparently, the player had even agreed terms with Liverpool, which made the breakdown of the move even more shocking. It was later revealed that there could have been concerns after the medical which caused Liverpool to back away, however, those were not confirmed by the clubs.

Lyon soon confirmed that the deal was off and that should have been the end of the matter.

However, Express soon reported that the deal was back on, after Lyon star Houssem Aouar signed a new 5 year deal, which paved the path for Fakil to join Liverpool. Yet as time went on, the deal kept stalling. Lyon then gave Liverpool until the end of July to complete the deal, but the Premier League club never returned back to the table.

However, a new angle to the story has come to surface of late. The Mirror reports that Lyon President has confirmed that the club tried to sell Fakir to Chelsea after the Liverpool move collapsed. But Chelsea showed no interest and as such, Fakil seems destined to stay at Lyon at least until the end of the year.

#4 Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United

Mourinho wanted Alderweireld at United

Mourinho and Manchester United were in search of a defender over the summer and their search had ended on Toby Alderweireld of Spurs, fresh from a solid World Club with Belgium. Multiple news sources reported that Alderweireld was on the verge of joining United in a £60million move. There were reports that the player was desperate to join United, even willing to run down his contract if required. But with each passing day, there seemed to be no signs from either United or Tottenham that the move was about to happen.

It then reported that Tottenham was waiting for a player plus cash deal for Alderweireld and the London club were waiting for a bid from United on Deadline day. The main difference between both clubs, it was said, was with the valuation of the centre back. Tottenham wanted £75million for Alderweireld, whereas United refused to pay that much. The Transfer Deadline Day arrived in England and passed away without much fuss and Alderweireld stayed where he was.

It was later revealed that the United Board did not trust Mourinho with the money to buy the centre-back, as he already had Bailly and Lindelof in the squad. On Monday night, as Tottenham made light work of United, Mourinho could be forgiven for knocking on Ed Woodward's door and telling him - "I told you so!".

#3 Willian to Manchester United

Mourinho wanted a reunion with his old star at United.

Manchester United were very interested in signing Willian from Chelsea over the summer. There were reports that Chelsea were looking at replacements for the Brazilian, as Willian looked set to join United. There was also a leaked image of Willian in a United jersey, which was later revealed to be a fake.

At one point, Manchester United were willing to do a swap deal for Willian, involving Martial, such was their desperation.

Willian then added fuel to the fire, by stating in an interview that Mourinho was the best manager he had worked with. He also mentioned that the two of them were still in touch. He then spoke of his desire to work under the Portuguese again. But the rumours dried up well ahead of the Transfer Deadline Day.

However, it was later revealed that Chelsea refused to sell Willian to United because of Nemanja Matic. Last season, Matic had joined United from Chelsea, and the move was highly criticized by fans. Chelsea did not want a repetition of the same. It was also reported that Woodward was willing to bid for other players, including Bale and Neymar, but Mourinho was adamant that Willian was the player he wanted.

#2 Paul Pogba to Barcelona

Pogba was reportedly interested in joining Barcelona

Mourinho was in touch with the player over the summer, as Pogba won the World Cup with France and saw his value increase. Yet, there had been instances of the distance building between Mourinho and Pogba last season and Pogba's reluctance to join Manchester United's preseason squad in the United States added further spice to that story. Amid rumours of a rift between the two, it was reported that Pogba was ready to leave United and join Barcelona. Other reports stated that Manchester United were willing to let Pogba leave if Barcelona paid £89m for him.

However, there was soon a new twist to the story, as Telegraph reported that Manchester United had told Barcelona that Pogba was not for sale. The Telegraph further reported that Pogba's agent Mino Raiola was desperate to move the player to Barcelona. The Transfer Window in England closed without any deal happening and since United showed no interest in signing any replacements, chances of this deal happening was close to zero even though the transfer window in the rest of Europe was still open.

Now, with less than 48 hours remaining before the European Transfer Window closes, Metro reports that Barcelona are still interested in signing the Frenchman. While the deal is unlikely to happen this summer, Barcelona are confident that Pogba will be playing at the Nou Camp next season.

#1 Eden Hazard to Real Madrid

Hazard was rumoured to be Ronaldo's replacement at Real

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer, leaving a void the size of a meteorite in the Bernabeu. The La Liga side were said to have settled on Eden Hazard to replace their talisman. It was also reported that Eden Hazard was interested in joining the Spanish giants, but Chelsea had put a £177.9million price tag on him. Real were reluctant to pay such a huge sum and it later came to the fore that Real Madrid had decided that Asensio was the ideal replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo and the rumours slowly died out.

On the other hand, talks with new boss Maurizio Sarri was said to have settled the Belgian, who looks set to stay at Stamford Bridge for at least another year. Reports now claim that Manchester City's Raheem Sterling is now ahead of Hazard in Real Madrid's most wanted list. Hazard, as such, might not make it to the Bernabeu just yet.