5 Summer Transfers That Could Surpass Ronaldo's £100 Million Move To Juventus

This summer is going to be a hugely intriguing one for football fans, with several major moves being mooted. All of this, of course, coming in the aftermath of Cristiano Ronaldo’s mega move to Juventus for a fee believed to be in the £100 million region.

Now, while Ronaldo’s move is a massive deal that has shaken the football world to its core, it may not actually end up being the biggest transfer deal of this window. Several other deals could yet eclipse CR7’s pricey transfer, and Ronaldo’s switch could merely be the tip of the iceberg.

It may be Real Madrid who are hardest hit and most impacted by the Ronaldo transfer, but the ramifications of that deal will play out across the globe and have an impact on plenty of other clubs ahead of the 2018/19 season.

With that in mind, then, here’s five ginormous transfers that could end up making Ronaldo’s £100 million move look like pocket change.

#5 Paul Pogba to Juventus

To say last season was a tumultuous one for Paul Pogba would be an understatement, with the French midfielder coming in for regular criticism from Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

Some blamed Pogba’s so-so club form on being played out of position by Mourinho, while the Portuguese himself would make no qualms about publicly lambasting the former Juventus man if he felt it was necessary. And now, it looks as if a return to Turin could well be on the cards for Pogba.

In his career to date, Pogba has played for Manchester United, then Juventus, then back to the Red Devils, and it now appears that he could be on his way back to the Old Lady by the time the summer transfer window slams shut.

Speculation has surrounded Pogba’s future for several months now, but the latest reports claim that Juventus’ signing of Cristiano Ronaldo has given the 25-year-old Frenchman the impetus to push through a transfer away from Old Trafford, so keen is he to link up with CR7 in the famed black and white of Juventus.

Should Pogba indeed get his wish, you can bet that any transfer fee would eclipse the €112 million Juventus paid Real Madrid for Ronaldo – not least because the Red Devils hold the upper hand, thanks to Pogba still having three years left to run on his current United contract.

#4 Gareth Bale to Manchester United

For the past several seasons, Gareth Bale has been linked with a move back to the English Premier League – and in particular with a move to Manchester United. Once again, here we are, finding ourselves seeing the Welshman rumoured to be heading to Old Trafford.

If recent reports are to be believed, United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is keen to sign Bale this summer, while manager Jose Mourinho is uncertain as to whether Madrid would sell another of their big-name stars.

Plenty of outlets have quoted Bale’s price tag as being more than the €112 million that Juventus have just paid for Cristiano Ronaldo. For Woodward, he dreams of a ridiculously formidable forward line of Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, and Bale.

It’s no secret that the former Tottenham forward has been unhappy with his playing time at the Bernabeu over the past season, and his sale would only further boost Los Blancos’ transfer funds for rejuvenating a side that finished so far behind long-time rivals Barcelona in La Liga this past campaign.

#3 Harry Kane to Real Madrid

With Cristiano Ronaldo having now departed the Bernabeu, Real Madrid have a huge number of goals to find from somewhere. And who better to bag Los Blancos some goals than the winner of the Golden Boot at this summer’s World Cup?

Madrid have been sniffing around Harry Kane for a little while now, and this summer could finally be the moment that the Champions League winners make their move. In fact, only this week we saw stories of Madrid preparing an offer of £132 million and Gareth Bale for Kane.

Over the past few seasons, the England forward has scored an impressive 105 goals in 139 league games for Spurs. Kane may not offer the same skillset and flair as CR7, but his goals-to-game ratio is definitely something that puts him in the frame to be a great replacement for Ronaldo – and his price tag would dwarf Cristiano’s should Madrid decide upon going all-in on Harry Kane at some point over the next few weeks.

#2 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Before this summer’s World Cup, Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was being linked with the who’s who of European football. And following several impressive performances in Russia, the Serbian midfielder has only further enhanced his reputation – and as a result, enhanced his price tag.

According to ESPN, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United are seemingly the main clubs in the frame to land the 23-year-old’s signature. Juventus were previously in the hunt, but the hefty money that the Old Lady have splashed out on Cristiano Ronaldo would seemingly make any move for the powerhouse midfielder unlikely, particularly if they’re keen to bring Paul Pogba back to Turin.

In terms of the transfer fee needed to nab Milinkovic-Savic this summer, it’s believed that a figure in the region of £115 million is what Lazio are looking for. That would easily surpass the £100 million Juventus paid for CR7 earlier this month.

#1 Eden Hazard

Chelsea v Manchester United - The Emirates FA Cup Final

As soon as it was confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo was departing the Bernabeu, the two leading candidates to replace CR7 were Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe. Either of these players would command a fee way, way in excess of what Juventus paid for Ronaldo, but it looks as if a clear winner has emerged to replace Cristiano and, in turn, become the biggest transfer of the summer. That player appears to be Chelsea’s Belgian ace, Hazard.

With Mbappe having now committed his future to Paris St-Germain despite the ongoing Financial Fair Play investigation that is taking place on the Paris club, that frees up Hazard to be Real Madrid’s #1 transfer target.

Hazard won’t come cheap, particularly after his stunning performances for Belgium at the World Cup this summer, but Madrid seem prepared to pay whatever it takes to land their man.

Despite new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri having gone public with his wish to keep the former Lille man at Stamford Bridge, ESPN is now reporting that a £200 million transfer deal is imminent. That deal would actually involve both Hazard and international teammate Thibaut Courtois heading to Real Madrid.

That same report claims that Courtois’ value in all of this equates to approximately £35 million due to his contract expiring next year. As such, Eden Hazard is being touted at the £165 million mark, which would see him prove far costlier than Ronaldo and likely see the two-time Premier League winner become the biggest transfer of this transfer window.