As the season drew to a close with the UEFA Champions League final marking its effective end, the next two months will see some shocking moves being pulled off and some big money signings, having the potential to make or break a club's season. A successful transfer policy saw Real Madrid dominate Europe and win the three-peat, while a failure to recognize the club's needs and make recruitments accordingly saw European giants like AC Milan and Internazionale crumble. There are endless possibilities and no club can be sure of retaining their star players, especially after an unsuccessful season.
Only last year, we saw Cristiano Ronaldo depart Real Madrid for Italian champions Juventus, where he went on to win the league's MVP and guide them to the league title while scripting a historic comeback against Atlético in the UCL. Madrid, on the other hand, ended the season with nothing to show for and had their worst league campaign of the century. Dusan Tadic led Ajax to a domestic double and all the way to the UCL semi-finals after moving from Southampton, while Lacazette paired up with Aubameyang to guide Arsenal to the Europa League final. While Fred's move to United was pretty much a failure, Naby Keita's contributions meant Liverpool had a record-breaking campaign which could end with European glory.
With the commencement of the summer transfer window, the rumour will have been churning at unimaginable speeds for quite some time now, but that does not mean there aren't reliable reports to support some of those claims too. This time, the period before the transfer window has seen quite a few peculiar cases with players sure to depart, only that they don't know their destination yet (at least officially). Anyway, here are some of the top reported transfer picks at the time.
Matthijs de Ligt
The transfer saga for Matthijs de Ligt had literally been going on for ages. Everybody wants him, and yet somehow he has managed to not sign a contract with any team yet. At 19 years old, he is already the captain of AFC Ajax and has put in one strong performance after the other. Already a national team regular, he has won the domestic double and reached the UCL semis. He has been linked to Manchester United, PSG and Barcelona, among others.
Ajax and Barcelona have always enjoyed a very good relationship, established first thanks to the legendary Johan Cruyff who had revolutionized both the clubs with his ideologies. As many as 22 players have played for both the clubs in the past, including legendary names such as Laudrup, the de Boer brothers, Patrick Kluivert, Ibrahimovic, Suarez and many more. Barcelona has already finalized the purchase of his Ajax and national teammate Frenkie de Jong for €75 million, and de Ligt has shown an inclination for the Catalán in the past by expressing his admiration for them, time and again in public interviews.
However, his agent, Mino Raiola, has been suspended from all footballing activities for a couple of months which may have put s chunk in the dealings. They are numerous reports afloat that his increasing demands were what was keeping the deal from going through in the first place, which gave a window for other suitors to jump in. Given United's well known defensive woes and financial prowess, it won't come as a surprise if they seal this deal. However, in a recent interview, Matthijs de Ligt dismissed the rumours nonchalantly as simple jokes, as said that he will take a decision post the Nations League campaign. If there is one thing for sure in this complex saga, it is that this move is happening, only the details and destination are yet to be finalized.
Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann has been excellent when it comes to the field: being Atlético's main man enroute a UCL final and a Europa League title, leading France to the World Cup and a Euro final, along with consistent world-class performances in the league. However, when it comes to off-field matters, it is safe to say he could have done much much better.
The rumours have been circulating ever since he showed his mettle at Atlético in his first season. 2 seasons ago, his transfer to Old Trafford was a lamp at final, until a transfer ban was placed on Atlético and Griezmann announced it would be unfair to leave his team when they couldn't even replace him in the upcoming transfer window. But then, the ban lifted in the next window, and so did the lid on the rumours. And again, it seemed, his transfer to Barcelona was no less than done and dusted as he announced a TV airing called #LaDecision two days before the World Cap started to announce his future. It had a cannot resemblance to LeBron James's airing The Decision which had aires when he announced he would be switching over to the Heat. The Griezmann version lasted 30 minutes, with farewell messages all lined up, until he famously rebuked Barcelona on air and announced he would be staying at the Wanda Metropolitano. And you thought only the games were interesting.
Chapter 3 of the saga started this summer, with Atlético officially releasing a video in which Antoine stated he would be leaving the club in the summer. The obvious destination seemed to be the Blaugrana but seems like it isn't the case. Reportedly, the players over at Camp Nou were not impressed by Grizzy's antics, and have been the reason the deal hasn't taken place. The dressing room led by Messi has according to Catalonian sources stated that they wouldn't allow him to enter the club, even though the manager and Bartomeu want him desperately. This had led to rumours that have linked him to United, PSG and even Juventus in case Dybala leaves. Again, if one thing has been officially confirmed, it is that come September, Griezmann won't be wearing the Rojiblanco strip anymore. All that remains to be seen is where a player having his talent and potential would end up.
Luka Jovic
Spain is a hotbed for transfers at the moment it seems, with all the three leading clubs in the country linked to countless players to make up for the poor season they have had, failing to bring a European trophy home for the first time since 2012-13. However, none is in as dire straits as the Royal White, who are still trying to get over the loss of their star man Cristiano Ronaldo. No wonder they are being linked with Europe's sought after striker at the moment, Luka Jovic.
Having scored 27 goals all season, Jovic is a part of one of the most lethal trios in Europe at the moment at Eintracht Frankfurt. But more importantly, Real Madrid are itching to get him because he belongs to the same breed as that of Benzema. Apart from scoring, Jovic is a very capable passer and dribbler who links up play pretty well and can hold up the ball for an attack to form. Though his skills in these regards may be a bit raw, when it comes to creating space in the box and then scoring like its second nature, there are only a few around the globe who can match up with what he has to offer. With Real Madrid suffering a goal drought time and again even though Benzema had his best scoring season in Los Blanco's colours, which just goes to show how serious the problem is. A partnership of Jovic and Benzema would be very exciting to watch and could outdo all other pairs in Europe in terms of their contribution to the field of they manage to fulfil their potential.
As for the current reports are concerned, some reliable sources have mentioned that Real Madrid has been trying to sign the player, with Frankfurt's sporting director himself giving hints to the media that come next season, Jovic may no longer be a part of the club. A transfer fee of around 60-70 million is supposedly what Madrid are willing to pay, and it'll be hard to think Frankfurt will be asking for more until and unless the reports of Barcelona joining the race are true. The Catalán giants have made some really erratic signings in the recent past and if they get involved in a bidding war, they might end up paying as much as 100 million for the young striker.
