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Renewing contracts in football can be one of the most tedious and stressful activities, both for a football club and its fanbase. There is a quick need to identify which players have still got what it takes, and which ones have run their race.
Most contract talks usually tend to begin when the season is nearing its end. But sometimes the football club hierarchies have to show that extra vigilance when the players are of top-notch quality and have no shortage of suitors. And so begins the long drawn-out process of assessing a player's demands, pushing for a bargain, massaging his ego, and striking a deal.
Fans love to stay in the loop when such negotiations are going on and are never shy of expressing their feelings towards players who they want at the football club and those they don't.
On most occasions, football clubs are ready to go out of their way to secure the services of their most valuable players. Although at times, even their hands are tied and cannot offer the player everything they desire.
This season as well, there are some superstars in Europe who have a contract situation with their football clubs that is deadlocked. Some of them have been fan favorites throughout their association with the club, while others have become invaluable due to recent performances. Either way, the current contract standoff is not helping any of the parties and has got fans worried.
Here are the five superstars who are currently on a contract standoff with their football clubs.
#5 Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry's future is up in the air and it has got the Arsenal faithful hoping for a miracle of some sort. They have hardly ever been more desperate for an ex-player to return to the football club and they have their reasons.
The German's performances at Bayern Munich have made him the joint-second-most valuable right winger in the world and has a market value of €70 million.
He is only 26 years old right now and will mostly be enjoying the peak of his career over the next few years. His contract with the German giants runs out in 2023 and they have been trying to get him to extend his stay via a new contract. However, the two parties are yet to find middle ground, which has given hope to many of his suitors.
Sky Germany reported that Bayern Munich have so far failed to meet his salary demands and German newspaper BILD suggests that discussions are getting complicated. Gnabry has been a huge hit in Germany since first moving to Werder Bremen in 2016 and has hit goals in double figures in every Bundesliga season.
With Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman both providing competition to the former Arsenal player in wide positions, he may be hesitant over penning a long-term deal. It could also be argued that due to their presence, he is demanding more competitive wages to cement his position in the team.
He has 60 goals and 39 assists for the Bavarians in 161 appearances across all competitions. Gnabry could only get better from this point on and the Bundesliga giants would like to sort out his future as soon as possible.
#4 Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger has been one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and Europe over the course of the last year or so. His combative nature and robust character puts him among the fiercest competitors in Europe. The German's great control of the ball and his aerial prowess makes him one of the strongest links in Chelsea's defense.
Real Madrid, Manchester United, and PSG have all been mentioned as his next destinations, and the Blues have only themselves to blame for this situation. They left it late to offer him a suitable contract but, by then Chelsea had gotten into trouble due to their Russian owner Roman Abramovich facing sanctions.
The west London football club is functioning thanks to a special sports license but among the many limitations they are facing is a ban on renewing contracts. After multiple rounds of conversations, the Blues and Rudiger reached an agreement on personal terms. But the football club couldn't make the deal official in time and the sanctions came into play, meaning they might lose him for free in the summer.
Once the ownership situation is resolved, Chelsea will definitely make securing Rudiger's signature a priority. Whether the new owners will provide the football club with wholehearted funding right off the bat is anyone's guess.
#3 Ousmane Dembele
Many big names will be free agents on the market this summer, but the drama surrounding Ousmane Dembele's situation at Barcelona is a unique one indeed. He was a player who didn't really care much about his reputation or the team for that matter before January. There were disciplinary issues on his end and his commitment towards the his football club was also questioned.
Yet, Barcelona were ready to put pen to paper on a contract for him before the January transfer window closed. The negotiations stalled and no deal could be agreed, which means Dembele will indeed be a free agent in June. He was free to negotiate a contract with his future club in January, but the Frenchman did not decide on that as well.
Barcelona technical director Mateu Alemeny said in January:
Barca has made different offers, we have tried to find a way for the player (Dembele) to continue with us and those offers have been systematically rejected by his agents. We want players that are committed to the club and we have told him he has to leave the club as soon as possible."
But things have not been the same. After multiple fee penalties and contract rejections later, the 24-year-old looks like a completely different player on the field. In his last four games, he has contributed five assists and one goal in La Liga and is arguably playing his best football in a Barcelona shirt.
With long-time pal Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining the club in January, his morale and confidence seems to have been positively affected. Due to his stubbornness with accepting new contracts or leaving the Catalan football club, fans have not been impressed by him and have booed the player on multiple occasions.
However, with his recent displays, he has won over the fans in the stadium and converted that hostility into applause. These performances show that the quality is definitely there, but the Frenchman needs to be consistent and develop resistance towards injuries.
The La Liga giants were and are still keen to tie Dembele to a new contract, and it remains to be seen whether the player will accept their offer or leave for newer pastures.
#2 Mohamed Salah
The Liverpool faithful have been getting worried over the past couple of months due to their football club's inability to find a breakthrough in Mohamed Salah's contract renewal. He has arguably been the best Reds player since his arrival at Anfield and has continued his explosive form season after season.
His contract expires in the summer of 2023 which means, in January next year, he will be free to negotiate pre-contract terms with other football clubs. It is understood that both the player and the football club are happy to continue their partnership. But the current offer on the table is not good enough for Salah.
The Egypt international told GQ in January:
“I want to stay, but it's not in my hands. It's in their hands. They know what I want. I'm not asking for crazy stuff. "
He added,
"I love the fans. The fans love me. But with the administration, they have [been] told the situation. It's in their hands.”
Meanwhile, the football club has suggested that the decision is pretty much Salah's alone. But is it fair to put a salary cap on arguably one of the best players in your football club's storied history? The best players today are ambitious and it's not new to see someone at the top of their game and to ask for a deserved amount.
In 239 appearances since joining the club back in 2017, the right-winger has been absolutely prolific, producing 153 goals and 57 assists across all competitions. The Reds are very much in contention for the Premier League title, sitting just one point behind table-toppers Manchester City.
They also have every chance of winning the Champions League, having already won the EFL Cup in February. If Jurgen Klopp's men do go on to win the treble, then Mo Salah will definitely be in the running for next year's Ballon d'Or. Are Liverpool really going to take their chances with their star man?
#1 Robert Lewandowski
We have often heard about football clubs letting go of strikers on the wrong side of the 30s even if they have been excellent servants of their football clubs. Naturally, age takes a toll and most big football clubs eventually tend to say goodbye to even their best players. But Robert Lewandowski is not like most players. He is a phenomenon and Bayern Munich are well aware of that fact.
Yet somehow, it feels more likely than ever that next season, we may not see the Polish marksman in Bavarian colors. Surprisingly, it is becoming a repeat of what happened to centre-back Niklas Sule, who did not hear from the club's authorities regarding a renewal until it was too late. He had already signed a contract with Borussia Dortmund by then.
Sule and Lewandowski cannot be compared. Not because they play in different positions but because the Poland international is way more of an important asset than the German. The star striker has apparently become frustrated over the lack of contact from Bayern and feels he is being undervalued.
However, the word going around suggests that the Bundesliga giants will not be able to afford Lewandowski for anything more than he is already earning. His football club are ready to do everything they can to hold on to the striker except breaching the salary cap.
The likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG and some other top European sharks are all on red alert and are monitoring the Polish striker's situation. It is anyone's guess right now to think what's going on in Bayern Munich's head. They have not been searching for his replacement with serious purpose.
Lewandowski is prepared to head out for a new challenge and the football club's reluctance to initiate talks is only going to push him further away. The player has already scored 43 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions so far this season. It is madness for football clubs to allow a player of such quality to leave.
