It’s already August, which means leagues are about to open. But the transfer market is still bubbling with rumors and possibilities, as players like Angel di Maria, Arturo Vidal, Mats Hummels, Javier Hernandez and William Carvalho remain quite unsettled, and maybe even looking to force a move.
Di Maria can’t get respect from Real Madrid, so he might end up in France. PSG? Maybe, but they might also be forced to sell Marquinhos or Lavezzi to balance the bank account. Manchester United want Arturo Vidal from Juventus, while Juve are interested in Chicharito himself. It’s complicated, and very interesting.
Angel di Maria, Real Madrid
Why sell a player who is as good as Angel di Maria? You might ask the same question about Gonzalo Higuain (a bit more understandable) and Mesut Ozil. Real Madrid aren’t a club that’s about sentiments. If there’s someone younger and hotter to sign, someone will make way for him. James Rodriguez arrived and Di Maria hasn’t been happy for a while. The question is, where does he go? He was offended a few months ago when linked with Tottenham. Now it seems PSG are the frontrunners for the Argentine, but they need a big sale to make the transfer work within the confines of the financial fair play. In the meantime, Monaco, who sold Rodriguez to Real Madrid, might be the team that eventually gets their hand on the very talented player who always seems to be slightly under appreciated by his own club.
Arturo Vidal, Juventus
According to Vidal, he doesn’t mind staying with Juventus, a team that seems to be easily dominating in Italy but struggling to rise above a certain mediocrity level in the Champions League. He also wouldn’t mind leaving. Last summer Real Madrid were the team after him. This season it’s Manchester United, contemplating a transfer worth around £45 million. According to certain reports, the only reason Louis van Gaal hasn’t made a bid is his concern with Vidal’s knee injury that troubled him in the World Cup, and might be something with a lasting effect.
Mats Hummels, Dortmund
Winning the World Cup with Germany was just another stepping stone towards superstardom for Mats Hummels, a centre back who a few years ago was just a young kid thrown out by Bayern Munich who couldn’t find a place for him among their senior players. He won two titles with Dortmund, reached the Champions League final and has been regarded as one of the best central defenders in the world for the last three years. So where does he go? Jurgen Klopp has been quite adamant that nowhere. Manchester United and Barcelona keep trying, but for now, Hummels remains in Germany.
Javier Hernandez, Manchester United
A proven scorer at every possible level, and yet Hernandez remains a player in constant turmoil. He wants to play, and not just as a super sub or whatever role LVG has planned for him. However, with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, not to mention Adnan Januzaj, Juan Mata and others, there won’t be much room for the kind of minutes Hernandez is hoping for. At the moment, he isn’t going anywhere, but the Juventus links have been very strong for the last couple of seasons.
William Carvalho, Sporting CP
Good players aren’t meant to stay for very long in the Portuguese league. The rules of economics dictate that they move on. However, it’s never easy signing a talented player, especially a young one like William Carvalho, who has been touted as one of the best young midfielders in Europe for the last three years. Arsenal seem to be on the verge of completing the transfer for quite some time, but at the moment he is still wearing green and white stripes.
Ezequiel Lavezzi & Marquinhos, PSG
While PSG don’t seem like the selling type, the noose of financial fair play is going to force them to make one very soon. Marquinhos is a talented young defender, but he hasn’t been able to find a cemented spot in the PSG lineup, and has Barcelona watching him for quite some time, and possibly willing to pay a hefty some for the player. Lavezzi is in the same situation only without the potential. Liverpool and other Premier League clubs have been looking into him. One of them, or maybe both, should find themselves playing somewhere else in a month or so.