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It is only mid-July, and we have already seen an awful lot of transfer business done across Europe, with well over £1 billion spent across the continent.
Over a quarter of a billion pounds has been spent by Real Madrid, who have revamped their squad after a disappointing 2018/19 season. They spent £90 million to bring Eden Hazard to the club from Chelsea, as well as spending big on the likes of Luka Jovic, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy.
Not to be outdone, rivals Barcelona paid Atletico Madrid £108 million to sign Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, while they also completed the signing of Frenkie de Jong that they had agreed in January. Atletico have replaced Griezmann with 19-year-old Benfica forward Joao Felix, in the process making him the most expensive player in the club’s history.
In the Premier League, champions Manchester City broke their transfer record to sign midfielder Rodri from Atletico in a deal worth £63 million. Tottenham have also broken their transfer record by spending £54 million on Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele, over 18 months after their last signing.
Bayern Munich have also refreshed their squad this summer, with French World Cup winners Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard moving to the Allianz Arena, while Mats Hummels has returned to Borussia Dortmund, three years after leaving.
There are still a number of clubs who will need improvements during this transfer window, and there is going to be an awful lot of money spent. Here are five men who could still make big money moves in the next few weeks.
#1 Harry Maguire (Leicester City)
This is a transfer saga that feels like it has been going on for a long time. Last summer, Jose Mourinho was unable to bring Harry Maguire to Manchester United, a move that contributed to his fall out with the board at Old Trafford, and eventually led to his sacking in December. Now, it looks like United are back for another go, but they could face some competition from their city rivals.
The 26-year-old has told Leicester that he wants to leave this summer, and it will be a matter of who wins the bidding war between the two Manchester sides. It is likely that the Foxes will demand a world-record fee for Maguire, surpassing the £75 million Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk.
#2 Neymar (PSG)
It seems almost impossible to keep Neymar’s name out of the news at the moment. In 2017, he joined PSG in an astonishing £200 million deal. Two years on, and everyone seems to have come to the realisation that his move to France simply hasn’t worked out.
He moved to Paris to help achieve his ultimate goal of winning the Ballon d’Or, yet in reality, that dream has never been further away. His spell at PSG has been punctuated by injuries, and even when he has been fit, he has been outshined by Kylian Mbappe.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that Neymar does want to leave PSG this summer, yet the Ligue 1 champions are unwilling to let their prized asset go. The biggest issue for Barcelona will be the fee, as if PSG do decide to let Neymar go, they will want to recoup almost all of the money they spent on the 27-year-old two years ago.
Barcelona have already spent big on Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong this summer, so they may need to sell before making any more acquisitions.
#3 Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
There has been some uncertainty surrounding some of Manchester United’s big players this summer. Paul Pogba has been linked with both Juventus and Real Madrid, although that looks unlikely to go through given United’s sky-high asking price.
One man who could be on his way out of Old Trafford though is Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian had a good first season at the club, but following Jose Mourinho’s sacking, he often found himself out of favor under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Inter Milan are the club who look most likely to move for Lukaku and have held talks with United over a move for the 26-year-old striker. They have offered to bring him to the San Siro on loan, with an obligation to buy, although United are holding out for a fee of around £80 million.
Lukaku is keen to move to Italy, however, so it may just be a matter of time until he forces his way out of United.
#4 Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
If Romelu Lukaku is to leave Manchester United to join Inter Milan, then the Serie A outfit are probably going to have to sell controversial striker Mauro Icardi to make way for the Belgian, and there is certainly a chance that may happen.
Without a doubt, Icardi is one of the most talented goalscorers in Europe, and he has proven that in his time with Inter, where he has scored an impressive 124 goals in just 219 games in all competitions. The question for Inter, however, is whether they are prepared to deal with his off-field behavior.
Icardi was stripped of the Inter captaincy in February and subsequently refused to play in their Europa League match against Rapid Wien. Since then, Icardi and his agent, who is also his wife, have made a number of comments suggesting that he wants to leave the club.
The 26-year-old has now left the club’s pre-season training base in Switzerland amidst rumours of interest from Juventus, and a move may not be too far away.
#5 Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona)
18 months ago, Barcelona broke their transfer record to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, and paid upwards of £130 million for his signature. It was hoped that this move would help take the Brazilian to the next level, but things haven’t really worked out.
Coutinho often found himself out of Ernesto Valverde’s side, as he started just 22 times in LaLiga, and he received a lot of criticism from some of the club’s supporters.
Having signed Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann this summer, Coutinho may find chances hard to come by again this season, and he may be best off elsewhere. If he is not part of a swap deal for Neymar, then a return to England is most likely.
He has been linked with a move to Manchester United, although his agent has poured cold water on those rumours. If he is to leave Barcelona, it will most likely be for a return to Anfield, but that may very much depend on the cost.
