Top 10 Transfer Possibilities

Top 10 Transfer Possibilities

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/top-10-transfer-possibilities/?smid=tw-nytimesgoal&seid=auto
By SIMON CLANCY
The season is complete. Barcelona dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s of the 2010-11 campaign with beauty and majesty in London. Now all that remains is for the European Cup to be dropped under the wheels of a bus during the final round of celebrations and the book on this remarkable year will have been written.
The majority of players not involved in European Championship qualifiers next weekend, the Gold Cup or the Copa América in Argentina which starts on July 1 will have already checked into their summer vacation resorts. But for managers and directors of the world’s best teams, the second season is about to begin in earnest, that of restocking squads for 2011-12, mindful of FIFA’s impending Financial Fair Play regulations.

So who could be the biggest movers of the summer? And where might some of the top players be next season? Here — in no particular order — are 10 of the biggest moves that could happen between now and the end of the transfer window.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – Striker/winger
Price: $247 million
Interested club: Manchester City


European Pressphoto Agency
Cristiano Ronaldo may not be happy at Real Madrid, but his price tag will make moving him difficult.This could be the mother of all summer transfers. Just two seasons and 89 goals into a six-year deal, all is seemingly not well at the Bernabéu. Reports are that Ronaldo isn’t happy and that his long-hoped-for Madridista dream isn’t quite turning out the way he thought it would. One prominent Spanish journalist went as far as to claim that Real are “not the team or the club he thought it was” and that they compare “less favorably with Manchester United.” Despite winning the Pichichi, his indifference over tracking back was a thorn in the side of his team all year. José Mourinho protected him somewhat in the press and from certain elements of the fan base, but it’s clear there are issues on all sides. Manchester City denied it had placed a bid about two weeks ago, reported to be in the region of $247 million although both Ronaldo and Real believed it to be legitimate. Whether Ronaldo would really leave Madrid is debatable, especially to return to the blue half of Manchester. And given how much he made in shirt sales alone for Los Blancos last year, it seems very questionable that he’d be allowed to depart. However, the temperature of this one could rise significantly as the summer goes on especially because City have the money to fulfil the well worn saying that everyone has a price.

Carlos Tévez – Manchester City – Striker
Price: $65 million
Interested clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, Boca Juniors


Alejandro Pagni/AFP — Getty Images
Carlos Tévez was back in Argentina, and back in a Boca Juniors jersey, during a visit over the weekend.“Welcome to Manchester” screamed the controversial mural when Tévez left Manchester United for its city rival. However he may be ready to leave the Cottonopolis altogether, despite another banner season. Reports of homesickness have been abundant and despite reassurances from Roberto Mancini that Tévez will stay for next season, very different noises have been emanating from the striker’s camp. Some rumors have him heading back home to play in South America, and there have been questions over his longterm commitment to the game. What seems more likely is that he will head to mainland Europe, almost certainly to join either Inter or Barcelona. A front three of Tévez, Lionel Messi and David Villa at the Nou Camp could be the most mouth-watering of partnerships.

Alexis Sánchez – Udinese – Winger
Price: $49 million
Interested clubs: Manchester City, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Juventus


Alberto Lingria/AFP — Getty Images
Alexis Sánchez was a big reason Udinese qualified for the Champions League.Sánchez, a Chilean, is one of the most exciting players in Europe although it remains to be seen whether he will stay for a final season with Udinese given that they have qualified for the Champions League. Udinese has gently nurtured and protected Sánchez, twice loaning him out to gain valuable experience and refusing to sell him to Galatasaray last summer because the club owner Giampaolo Pozzo didn’t believe he had reached his full potential. But with 12 goals and a number of standout performers that carried the Bianconeri to fourth in Serie A, Sánchez made it clear that Pozzo will have a battle on his hands to keep hold of the man they call El Niño Maravilla. It goes without saying that Manchester City are interested although quite what that would mean for their $99 million investment in wide men David Silva, Adam Johnson and James Milner and the impact on their collective mind-sets is a question that Manager Roberto Mancini will need to answer fast. It may turn out that in terms of a purely soccer decision, Inter Milan suits Sánchez better.

Cesc Fàbregas – Arsenal – Midfielder
Price: $49 million
Interested clubs: Barcelona, Inter Milan


Eddie Keogh/Reuters
Cesc Fàbregas may be headed to Barcelona eventually, but via an indirect route.This has become the most protracted transfer since Steven Gerrard and Chelsea began flirting in 2005, broke up and then fluttered their eyelashes at one another again two years later. But whereas Gerrard would have joined José Mourinho’s team to become the lynchpin of that midfield, any return by Fàbregas to the Nou Camp is fraught with difficulties, the first being: will he even get into the starting XI? Just ask Javier Mascherano about going from key player to bench warmer. Fàbregas has long stated that he would like to return to Barcelona, but with neither Xavi nor Andrés Iniesta showing any signs of slowing down, it could be that the Arsenal captain will bridge the gap between now and the time that those two finally hang up their boots by testing the waters of Serie A with Inter. By his high standards, Fàbregas’s season was a disappointment. And while the annual will he/won’t he discussion has become tiresome for all concerned at the Emirates, a renewed long term commitment to the Gunners shouldn’t be ruled out.

Eden Hazard – Lille – Winger/striker
Price: $41 million
Interested clubs: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Tottenham.
Eden Hazard - Half Messi Half Ronaldo | HD

The young Belgian is the best player in French soccer and deserves to play on a bigger stage. He’ll get that to some extent if he stays with Lille, which won Ligue 1 and qualified for the Champions League, but he’s the sort of rare talent who should flourish in the Premiership or La Liga. All of Europe’s biggest clubs are desperate for his signature and while he has made noises about both Real Madrid – Zinedine Zidane said he’d sign him with his eyes closed — and Arsenal — where there are a number of French speakers — Liverpool believe that in the Kenny Dalglish revolution they can offer him the sort of playing time that he might not get elsewhere and a front three of Luis Suárez, Andy Carroll and Hazard is a potentially mouth-watering proposition. However, with no European games to offer Liverpools faces something of a struggle. Hazard’s Lille teammate Aurelien Chedjou has said that Hazard has offers from Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Arsenal and that he’s “50/50″ over whether he will stay or go.


Sergio Agüero – Atlético Madrid – Striker
Price: $63 million
Interested clubs: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Tottenham, Juventus, Manchester City, Liverpool


Victor Lerena/E.P.A.
Atlético Madrid striker Sergio Agüero has a host of suitors.It’s been a difficult year for Atlético Madrid: a La Liga season in which it flattered to deceive finished with the departure of manager Quique Sánchez Flores. With goalkeeper David De Gea headed to Manchester United and question marks about the future of Diego Forlán, it seems that Agüero has reached the end of the road with the club. It was reported last week that he asked the club president, Enrique Cerezo, if he could leave. Tottenham bid for Agüero late in the January transfer window, but whether it stands any chance of signing the Argentinean in the summer remains to be seen. Realistically, the belief is that Spurs are firmly in the category marked Rank Outsiders. Agüero has a buyout clause of $64 million and there are significant taxes to be paid on top of that if Atlético refuses to sell. It would rather not deal its prize asset to Real Madrid, which has until now feigned any interest. Agüero travelled to Argentina last week saying that he would “decide his future soon” and that there were “different clubs interested.”

Luka Modric — Tottenham — Midfielder
Price: $41 million
Interested clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Inter Milan


Michael Steele/Getty Images
Luka Modric may be headed out of Tottenham, but not out of the Premier League’s top four.Modric, the Spurs midfielder who flourished into one of the Premiership’s best players last season, has been touted for a move away from White Hart Lane and it seems as if Manchester United are at the head of the line for the talented Croatian. Outplayed in the Champions League final, Alex Ferguson’s midfield needs a complete revamp, especially in the middle, and Modric’s quick thinking, his ability to pass and move, and his talent to get box to box would help their bid for a 20th league title. There are big question marks hanging over Tottenham, as failure to qualify for the Champions League could mean a number of departures, including Rafael Van Der Vaart and Gareth Bale. That, coupled with the lame duck status of Manager Harry Redknapp — linked with Chelsea but certain to take over the national team upon Fabio Capello’s departure after Euro 2012 — could see Modric move on.

Neymar – Santos – Striker
Price: $38 million
Interested clubs: Chelsea, Feyenoord, Juventus, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid


Norberto Duarte/AFP — Getty Images
Chelsea’s long pursuit of the Brazilian striker Neymar may be nearing an end.It seems remarkable that a 19-year-old can have been at a club for almost a decade but that’s the situation with Santos striker Neymar. His tenure there is finally set to come to an end. Chelsea have long since been seen as the front-runners, and Neymar’s agent says that the Blues have been tracking him for more three years, often sending scouts to watch his Sao Paolo Youth Cup games and entering into discussions over personal terms with the his father. Reports have been emerging that Chelsea is preparing a bid in the region of $49 million and, with Didier Drogba likely to leave in the summer, the prospect of a Fernando Torres/Neymar strike partnership would be a welcome lure for any new manager. Neymar’s contract runs through 2014, but that may simply be so that Santos can maximize his value in any sale. However, it could be a very complex deal as his rights are owned in part by private investors.

Romelu Lukaku – Anderlecht – Striker
Price: $33 million
Interested clubs: Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Real Madrid


John Thys/AFP — Getty Images
The Belgians Romelu Lukaku, left, and Eden Hazard could be in for big moves, and big paydays, this summer.Along with Neymar, Chelsea is also seen as the leader in the clubhouse for the signature of Lukaku, a raw Belgian striker, even as Arsenal are also believed to be genuine contenders for the player dubbed the new Drogba. It has been rumored that Anderlecht General Manager Herman Van Holsbeeck has been in London for talks with both the Gunners and the Blues, although it’s hugely debatable whether Lukaku can have an immediate impact given how much refinement his game needs. However, Belgian journalists will argue that his growth has been stunted by the way that Anderlecht plays, often leaving their star striker up front on his own to chase long balls over the top. And don’t write Real Madrid out of this race either. Mourinho signed Drogba to Chelsea and is a huge fan of his physical style, and to watch Lukaku play is to rewind and watch Drogba from a decade ago, all power, pace and aerial prowess. Mourinho acknowledged in an interview in October that he was keen to lure Lukaku to Madrid: “It is true that we wanted Romelu but he has a very clever dad. He wants his son to stay at Anderlecht for one more year. I wish all dads were like this.” With rumours that Gonzalo Higuaín, Karim Benzema and Emmanuel Adebayor may be leaving and question marks over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, don’t be surprised to see Lukaku at the Bernebéu next season.

Giuseppe Rossi – Villarreal — Striker
Price: $38 million
Interested clubs: Barcelona, Tottenham


Heino Kalis/Reuters
Giuseppe Rossi’s agent said Wednesday that he was in talks with Barcelona.What might have been for U.S. Soccer with regards Rossi, who was born in New Jersey and lived there until he was 12 before moving to Italy to join Parma. An unsuccessful stint at Manchester United led to Rossi’s being sold to Villarreal, where he was slowly nurtured first by Manuel Pellegrini and then by Ernesto Valverde and Juan Carlos Garrido. He truly burst onto the scene this past season with 32 goals in 56 games. Despite signing a contract extension with El Submarino Amarillo through the 2016 campaign, Rossi’s transfer to Barcelona seems only a matter of time. (His agent said Wednesday that he was already negotiating with Barcelona.) Quite where he fits into a forward line of Messi, Villa and Pedro and their 100 goals between them is a matter for Pep Guardiola. The European Champions will face some competition from Tottenham, who could offer Rossi a guaranteed starting spot and a return to a country he knows.

Simon Clancy is a producer for the BBC. Follow him on Twitter @SiClancy.

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Interesting article by Simon clancy.
Could be a huge summer

Would be a great summer if we got 1 of them would love Augero or Hazzard,only 19 well worth the asking price great little player bags of talent.