After Barcelona were humiliated in the Champions League once again, Lionel Messi has handed in a transfer request. With PSG and Manchester City interested, could he really leave Barcelona?
Jadon Sancho may have had a short career so far but he has already become one of the most sought after players in world football, with a host of high profile clubs looking to prize him away from Borussia Dortmund. The 19 year old was recently left out of the Dortmund squad to face Borussia Monchengladbach and fined a weeks wages after returning late from England duty, as well as being benched for their Champions League clash against Barcelona for turning up late to a team meeting. These issues have meant that clubs across Europe are now queuing up to try and secure his signature.
One of the transfer sagas of the summer rumbles on as Juventus look to try and offload Paulo Dybala, a player who was seen, until recently, as one of the best players at the club. The most crucial change since then has been the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. After dominating Italian football, Juventus have increasingly been turning their attention to trying to win the Champions League for the first time since 1995/96. Ronaldo was seen as a clear statement of intent as the Portuguese international has had repeated success in the competition, winning it 5 times with two different clubs.
With Kieran Trippier recently leaving for Atletico Madrid and Tottenham looking to refresh an aging squad, the next in the firing line seems to be Danny Rose. After 12 years in North London and almost 200 appearances racked up, the left back has been left out of the Spurs squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, which has only intensified the rumours.
After winning the U21 European championship with Spain and being named in UEFA’s team of the tournament, Dani Ceballos now faces the prospect of moving to a new club in his search for increased playing time. Despite him playing 23 times and scoring three goals for Los Blancos, Zidane still isn’t keen on the 22 year old midfielder. So what are the centre midfielder’s potential destinations?
Nicolas Pepe is one of the most wanted players in Europe after a brilliant season with Lille which saw him rack up 22 goals and 11 assists to help them finish second in Ligue 1, behind the French giants PSG. Although Lille’s chairman does seem resigned to losing the 24-year old, his contract isn’t up until 2022 so they are in no hurry to sell even though there are some big European clubs circling.
Philippe Coutinho’s dream move to Barcelona was heralded as part of a new era at the team, with both individual and team rewards expected. As three quarters of his first full season have been completed, Coutinho has been hit and miss; underwhelming in the domestic league but showing his quality in the Champions League. Is time already up for the Brazilian in Barcelona?
This summer may see the end of the curious case of Alexis Sanchez. Hailed as a coup for Man United, having been snatched from under the noses of Pep Guardiola and Man City, Sanchez was expected to repeat the form that saw him praised from all corners of the English game whilst operating within a lacklustre Arsenal squad. That form never materialised and with Ole Gunnar Solskjær likely to be named Man United’s next permanent manager, it seems as though Sanchez will be leaving.