Grimaldo on a free to Leverkusen. 4 year deal.
View: https://twitter.com/eurofootcom/status/1658037898334150656?s=20
View: https://twitter.com/eurofootcom/status/1658037898334150656?s=20
Life is a Beach - Summer 2023 Transfer
- Thread starter Vinho Tinto
- Start date
Good list of players who's contracts expire at the end of the season:
Milan Skriniar, Centre-Back, 28
Inter Milan 0, €60.00m
Lionel Messi, Right Winger, 35
Paris SG, €45.00m
Karim Benzema, Centre-Forward, 35
Real Madrid, €35.00m
Marcus Thuram, Centre-Forward, 25
Mönchengladbach, €32.00m
Evan Ndicka, Centre-Back, 23
Eintracht Frankfurt, €32.00m
Adrien Rabiot, Central Midfield, 28
Juventus FC, €30.00m
Youri Tielemans, Central Midfield, 26
Leicester City, €30.00m
Daichi Kamada, Attacking Midfield, 26
Eintracht Frankfurt, €30.00m
Konrad Laimer, Central Midfield, 25
RB Leipzig, €28.00m
Wilfried Zaha, Left Winger, 30
Crystal Palace, €27.00m
Ilkay Gündogan, Central Midfield, 32
Manchester City, €25.00m
Marco Asensio, Right Winger, 27
Real Madrid, €25.00m
Roberto Firmino, Centre-Forward, 31
Liverpool FC, €22.00m
Raphaël Guerreiro, Left-Back, 29
Borussia Dortmund, €20.00m
N'Golo Kanté, Defensive Midfield, 32
Chelsea FC, €20.00m
Ramy Bensebaini, Left-Back, 28
Borussia Mönchengladbach, €20.00m
Jonathan Bamba, Left Winger, 27
LOSC Lille, €20.00m
Toni Kroos, Central Midfield, 33
Real Madrid, €18.00m
Iñigo Martínez, Centre-Back, 31
Athletic Bilbao, €18.00m
Naby Keïta, Central Midfield, 28
Liverpool FC, €17.00m
Ben Brereton Díaz, Left Winger, 24
Blackburn Rovers, €16.00m
David de Gea, Goalkeeper, 32
Manchester United, €15.00m
Daniel Amartey, Centre-Back, 28
Leicester City, €15.00m
Moussa Dembélé, Centre-Forward, 26
Olympique Lyon, €15.00m
Nélson Semedo, Right-Back, 29
Wolverhampton, €15.00m
Milan Skriniar, Centre-Back, 28
Inter Milan 0, €60.00m
Lionel Messi, Right Winger, 35
Paris SG, €45.00m
Karim Benzema, Centre-Forward, 35
Real Madrid, €35.00m
Marcus Thuram, Centre-Forward, 25
Mönchengladbach, €32.00m
Evan Ndicka, Centre-Back, 23
Eintracht Frankfurt, €32.00m
Adrien Rabiot, Central Midfield, 28
Juventus FC, €30.00m
Youri Tielemans, Central Midfield, 26
Leicester City, €30.00m
Daichi Kamada, Attacking Midfield, 26
Eintracht Frankfurt, €30.00m
Konrad Laimer, Central Midfield, 25
RB Leipzig, €28.00m
Wilfried Zaha, Left Winger, 30
Crystal Palace, €27.00m
Ilkay Gündogan, Central Midfield, 32
Manchester City, €25.00m
Marco Asensio, Right Winger, 27
Real Madrid, €25.00m
Roberto Firmino, Centre-Forward, 31
Liverpool FC, €22.00m
Raphaël Guerreiro, Left-Back, 29
Borussia Dortmund, €20.00m
N'Golo Kanté, Defensive Midfield, 32
Chelsea FC, €20.00m
Ramy Bensebaini, Left-Back, 28
Borussia Mönchengladbach, €20.00m
Jonathan Bamba, Left Winger, 27
LOSC Lille, €20.00m
Toni Kroos, Central Midfield, 33
Real Madrid, €18.00m
Iñigo Martínez, Centre-Back, 31
Athletic Bilbao, €18.00m
Naby Keïta, Central Midfield, 28
Liverpool FC, €17.00m
Ben Brereton Díaz, Left Winger, 24
Blackburn Rovers, €16.00m
David de Gea, Goalkeeper, 32
Manchester United, €15.00m
Daniel Amartey, Centre-Back, 28
Leicester City, €15.00m
Moussa Dembélé, Centre-Forward, 26
Olympique Lyon, €15.00m
Nélson Semedo, Right-Back, 29
Wolverhampton, €15.00m
Good overview in the Athletic of summer transfer situations for the key USMNT players in Europe. Should be a big summer for Americans on the move.
They also report that Aaronson has a relegation release clause, which I didn’t know. I expected him to stay at Leeds given what they paid for him, but this makes it much easier for him to stay in a Big 5 league.
They also report that Aaronson has a relegation release clause, which I didn’t know. I expected him to stay at Leeds given what they paid for him, but this makes it much easier for him to stay in a Big 5 league.
I feel like Aaronson has some good value with five subs. He brings an energy that I think would be perfect as a super sub. But his frantic style of play isn’t as good to start matches.
Where these guys actually in the same room or did someone just ask AI to generate this picture for Twitter.
Looks like Juventus is working to get Pulisic, though personal terms don’t seem to have been reached yet:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37758859/sources-juve-lead-race-sign-usmnt-pulisic
There’s obviously a lot going on at Juve right now with their legal situation, so I wonder if this is really a good landing spot for him.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37758859/sources-juve-lead-race-sign-usmnt-pulisic
There’s obviously a lot going on at Juve right now with their legal situation, so I wonder if this is really a good landing spot for him.
Juve would be a great spot for him...not only is their ownership/front office incredibly well organized and all unified under a coherent plan, but their coach is well known for his expansive play and development of younger attacking players.
Edit: I know money talks but there are a handful of clubs that prospective players/coaches should stay the fuck away from.
Edit: I know money talks but there are a handful of clubs that prospective players/coaches should stay the fuck away from.
Thinking on it a bit more, being a 22yo starter for a Championship club might be a better spot for Aaronson than a rotation/super-sub role on an EPL squad. He really needs minutes at high level competition. Like any relegated club, Leeds has a lot to sort out quickly, but if Aaronson can get some guarantees about playing time, this might be a good place for the next year.
or Leeds may decide to blow it all up and start fresh, who knows.
Really depends on the manager as well. A Big Sam type who doesn't press that much is not a great fit for his game.
Benzema reportedly has a huge offer from Saudia Arabia and may leave.
That could set into motion an interesting chain of events. Real will look to recruit a top striker for sure (Kane, Osimhen, Vlahovic most likely) and it could also complicate Florentino's plans to try to recruit Haaland and/or Mbappe next summer or the following summer.
That could set into motion an interesting chain of events. Real will look to recruit a top striker for sure (Kane, Osimhen, Vlahovic most likely) and it could also complicate Florentino's plans to try to recruit Haaland and/or Mbappe next summer or the following summer.
Lots of BS rumors out there but the ones with the most legs I've seen are probably:
Bellingham --> Real Madrid. This seems all but done by many accounts.
Kovacic --> City. My guess is this would mean Gundogan is leaving, most likely to Barcelona. Kovacic is about as good as it gets in terms of stepping right in to fill that role for the next couple years.
Mount --> United. I don't really understand this one from United's perspective as it seems like they really need a deeper lying midfielder, not a final third player since they already have Bruno. But there is lots and lots of smoke.
Rice --> Arsenal. Bayern also in the mix but they rarely pay massive money for players and English players rarely leave the PL when they have other good options.
Mac Allister --> Liverpool. Lots and lots of smoke on this one as well.
Lots of midfielders on the move!
Bellingham --> Real Madrid. This seems all but done by many accounts.
Kovacic --> City. My guess is this would mean Gundogan is leaving, most likely to Barcelona. Kovacic is about as good as it gets in terms of stepping right in to fill that role for the next couple years.
Mount --> United. I don't really understand this one from United's perspective as it seems like they really need a deeper lying midfielder, not a final third player since they already have Bruno. But there is lots and lots of smoke.
Rice --> Arsenal. Bayern also in the mix but they rarely pay massive money for players and English players rarely leave the PL when they have other good options.
Mac Allister --> Liverpool. Lots and lots of smoke on this one as well.
Lots of midfielders on the move!
There's a lot of talent on Leeds, Leicester, and Southampton that will be attractive.
Obviously, Maddison will be the major attraction, but I'm really interested in seeing where Ward-Prowse ends up. He's in his prime at 28 and may be the best dead-ball specialist in the league. JWP is also just a wonderfully rounded 8 - high percentage passes, key passes & assists, tackles, interceptions...he's a real all-action midfielder. The list of suitors should be very long.
I'm also a Ndidi fan and think he could be the midfield destroyer that many clubs across the Big 5 need. Ndidi's performances nosedived last season along with so many of his teammates, but I think that defensive monster is still in there. Could be a huge bargain.
Obviously, Maddison will be the major attraction, but I'm really interested in seeing where Ward-Prowse ends up. He's in his prime at 28 and may be the best dead-ball specialist in the league. JWP is also just a wonderfully rounded 8 - high percentage passes, key passes & assists, tackles, interceptions...he's a real all-action midfielder. The list of suitors should be very long.
I'm also a Ndidi fan and think he could be the midfield destroyer that many clubs across the Big 5 need. Ndidi's performances nosedived last season along with so many of his teammates, but I think that defensive monster is still in there. Could be a huge bargain.
Between Ndidi and Adams, interesting time for a good EPL club looking to poach a 6 from the relegated guys. Ndidi is younger than I thought he was as well, I would have guessed late prime but he is actually just getting there.
I do think that Kovacic's technique is of MANC's standard, but I don't recall him being nearly as much of a threat to arrive late in the box as Gundogan. Kova can definitely hit them from the outside, but I'd guess his shooting output is a lot lower than Gundogan's.
I love JWP but I think you're overrating him quite a bit. I think the question most EPL clubs have about him is can he cope well enough in open play to keep him on for his world class setpieces. My guess is some stable top half club picks him up as a specialty player to bring on a sub. I could see Liverpool doing that in a vaccuum, but it feels like their set piece takers are pretty solid already, even if not quite at JWP's level.
I expect that Barnes, Tielemans, and maybe Castagne get picked from LCFC. KWP, Livramento, and Adams get a look from Southampton, and perhaps a couple of others. Leeds--I have no idea how these players are viewed by other EPL clubs.
On the off chance anyone but me cares, Diogo Leite’s loan to Union Berlin has been converted to a permanent transfer. The back three of Leite, Knoche and Doekhi were a big part of the reason they finished where they did. Leite coming in and allowing Jaeckel to just play as a replacement was probably the difference between 4th and 5th, at a minimum.
Madrid close in on Bellingham. Madrid prefers to wrap their business up early, and generally get it right. The club rarely gets this far down the road without getting their man, with a Mbappe sized asterisk, of course.
Real Madrid hope to complete details of Jude Bellingham deal next week. Talks are advancing also on final step, means add-ons package in addition to €100m fixed fee to BVB. Documents for Jude’s six year deal as Real Madrid player will be prepared soon.
View: https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1664564882203717635?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Real Madrid hope to complete details of Jude Bellingham deal next week. Talks are advancing also on final step, means add-ons package in addition to €100m fixed fee to BVB. Documents for Jude’s six year deal as Real Madrid player will be prepared soon.
View: https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1664564882203717635?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
I rate Gundogan really highly and think Kovacic is probably a downgrade in general. But it’s hard to say if he can be influential in the final third because so much is just about the role not the player. Gundogan was never a final third producer until Pep gave him this role which demands those selective runs into the box and more interplay at the top of the box. All of a sudden he pots 13 goals in a season.
Put another way, after seeing Granit Xhaka go off for 7 goals and 7 assists this season when put in a similar role by Arteta, I wouldn’t dismiss Kovacic’s ability to make that kind of transition as well.
Tw
Werent Utd using Bruno in a deeper lying role with some success late in the season?
I don't watch them frequently enough to say. You may be right on that.
Beyond KDB, Bruno is one of the best chance creating midfielders in football though. I wouldn't want to take him too far away from the goal on a permanent basis.
This will never happen, but I would like to see a single club (Forest?) pick up all the best players from the relegating teams, and see how far they can go playing together.
true, but I want this experiment to be the best from last season's relegated teams. How high can the Relegated All Stars go? What if they all went to Wrexham?
I’ve read that City has a buyback clause in Lavia ag £40m that kicks in next summer. That will make for interesting negotiations for all interested parties.
Also they had horrific goalkeeping. FBRef had them at -21.7 Post-Shot Expected Goals - Goals Allowed, by far the worst in the league, and the worst any PL side has had in several seasons by a big margin. Even an average goalkeeper would have given them a good shot to stay up.
There have been rumors at one time or another of both that and Meslier, who also got his team relegated. Both are likely bunk.
yeah Meslier is crap too, most particularly by the same measure he just cited. Last two seasons, he's been among the worst in the PL (I think last season he was the very worst) in PSxG +/- per 90. This season he was merely second-worst, to the aforementioned Southampton. Either way, a low-budget scarecrow would probably do better between the sticks - at least he'd frighten off Newcastle.
Reports were that Manuel Ugarte was deciding between PSG and Chelsea, and the Record (which I understand is fairly reliable for Sporting news, though less so for other Portuguese clubs) says he’s settled on Chelsea:
View: https://twitter.com/record_portugal/status/1665061385053642754
Nothing confirmed but could be a nice pairing with Enzo, sitting deeper as the ball winner and letting Enzo work further up the pitch.
Edit: Fabrizio says it’s close but details still to be worked out, so could fall apart still:
View: https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1665069940745879553
View: https://twitter.com/record_portugal/status/1665061385053642754
Record
@Record_Portugal
Sporting - Notícia Record: negócio está fechado e Ugarte vai ser reforço do Chelsea
Sporting - Notícia Record: deal closed and Ugarte will join Chelsea
@Record_Portugal
Sporting - Notícia Record: negócio está fechado e Ugarte vai ser reforço do Chelsea
Sporting - Notícia Record: deal closed and Ugarte will join Chelsea
Edit: Fabrizio says it’s close but details still to be worked out, so could fall apart still:
View: https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1665069940745879553
Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Chelsea, advancing on Manuel Ugarte deal and very confident — negotiation not closed or completed yet. There are still things, details left to get it sealed #CFC Chelsea cautious on Ugarte deal until they arrive to documents stage after Enzo saga with Benfica in January.
@FabrizioRomano
Chelsea, advancing on Manuel Ugarte deal and very confident — negotiation not closed or completed yet. There are still things, details left to get it sealed #CFC Chelsea cautious on Ugarte deal until they arrive to documents stage after Enzo saga with Benfica in January.
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Benzema officially leaving Real Madrid and by many reports they will push for Kane.
I think this will happen. As much as he might want Shearer’s record, Kane just can’t turn that move down. For Levy and the club, beyond Kane signing a new contract this is a second best scenario assuming they can extract a huge fee, much preferable to selling him within the league.
I think this will happen. As much as he might want Shearer’s record, Kane just can’t turn that move down. For Levy and the club, beyond Kane signing a new contract this is a second best scenario assuming they can extract a huge fee, much preferable to selling him within the league.
Interesting summer coming up at the Bernabéu. The team essentially prepaid the Eden Hazard (remember him????) contract this season to get him off the books for next season in preparation for this. Kroos and Modric will re-sign for one year at reduced wages. Ascensio is off to PSG, and both Nacho and Ceballos remain unsigned. I am guessing Ancelloti will be off to manage Brazil too.
With Bellingham all but signed, they’ll need a Benz replacement too and still need a backup to this replacement until Endrick arrives after next season. They would ideally get a backup RB who is young and can replace Carvajal. Oh, and a new manager.
Real we’re always due for a “transitional” season too, as much as a team like Madrid would allow for a transition. I think the expectation was that this would take place last season, but the club won La Liga and the Champions League, and probably felt compelled to run it back again. The club have been remarkably and annoyingly good at long term planning lately so I imagine they have contingencies in place for Benzema leaving.
At this point, just recreate those great Real Madrid and Barcelona squads from a decade plus in the past in KSA. Only Xavi is really busy, and maybe Pique. What’s Victor Valdés up to these days?
I hear Carles Puyol is available. He must be the only one among those legendary squads who as soon as he couldn't play for his team anymore, just straight retired. None of this middle east oil money, go play in China or MLS nonsense. Or even a lesser team in La Liga. Not Barca? OK that's cool, I'm done.
Because it’s still his best chance for silverware and he’d be going to arguably the biggest club in the world.
If he doesn’t go to United I’d really like to see him at Real. I think he’d be great
If he doesn’t go to United I’d really like to see him at Real. I think he’d be great
Transition is only in terms of players and roles at a club like Real Madrid. Not expectations. Not results.
Players like Modric and Kroos will take a step back, others will step forward like Valverde and Camavinga (and presumably Bellingham). Benzema out, Kane in. So on and so forth.
That team will still go for trophies.
And then presumably going hard for Mbappe (and perhaps another defender or two) next summer to complete the jigsaw.
Kane as a playmaking CF dropping deep with Mbappe and Vini buzzing around him and three of Bellingham/Valverde/Camavinga/Touchameni supporting in midfield has the makings of an amazing attacking side on paper at least. I have no love for Real Madrid but one has to admit that Florentino has done a great job rebuilding this team.
If Levy allows it to happen, I don't see how Kane can turn down that opportunity. It's not just the ability to compete for leagues and CLs, its the chance to play with the best and be part of a potentially very special team.
Doubt Kane leaves EPL this summer. Maaaaybe he goes to United, otherwise he'll finish out his contract and move wherever the hell he wants next summer.
Didn't realize Asensio was going to PSG--I've always really liked his game, but he'll vanish in Paris like so many others before him. He's not going to be one of their best 6 attackers, so he's not going to be in the XI as a MF or FWD.
As for what Madrid will do at CF, I feel like they have a few options. Firmino is a FA and could do a lot of the dirty work Benz used to do. Thuram and Dembele are also FA. If they want to go elite, they could go after Osimhen, Lautaro (another Benz-like player in mentality, although not nearly the same skill or finishing), or Muani. They could look at snagging Julian Alvarez out of MANC, or DCL out of Everton (another pretty good like-for-like with Benz IMO). If they just wanna throw shit at the wall, Icardi is playing in Turkey (winning a title too I think) and can probably do a job or at least be a flyer. Madrid always have strong scouting in LatAm too, and it wouldn't surprise me if they bring in a promising young striker for 15-30M.
The Guardian is saying medical in the next 48 hours, and they don’t usually pedal information unless it’s rock solid. Also mentioned that Mac has a release clause below £60m. Could be excellent business if they get this over the line. And very curious who the next international star Brighton will identify to plug in.
Glad to see ManU all in on Mount. He’s a fine player, but I don’t see a role for him in Klopp’s system.
That said, Liverpool are tight on homegrowns right now, and will be in a tougher spot if Carvalho goes on loan and Phillips finally gets his move. This is an issue to watch.
Can I push back on this? Do English soccer players and fans really buy into the fiction that top flight football was invented only 30 years ago? If I were to pick an American parallel, it feels a lot like celebrating Aaron Judge setting a new American League home run record: somewhat meaningful, but an afterthought to most fans.
Ugarte flips to PSG. Tottenham finally gets a manager in Celtic’s Postecoglou. And MacAllister fee is rumored to be under £ 45M.
Well, maybe he wants to beat Jimmy Greaves' record for most career top flight goals in England? I know Greaves' Tottenham record was extremely important to him, as was Teddy Sheringham's EPL record for Spurs which he passed years ago. I think it's all a factor that may keep him in England; along with other things such as top English players rarely going abroad in their primes, the idea of the EPL being the best league, etc.
The conversation around Kane going abroad has always befuddled me. The argument largely centers around the idea that Kane needs to win something in his career and so he needs to go to some club that faces almost no domestic competition, like Bayern, or competition from only two clubs, like Real Madrid, and being a part of one of those club's 90th title winning squads would be a massive form of validation for him, which is hard for my American brain to comprehend.
I think a lot of options are on the table for Kane, I'd be surprised if he ended up in a club abroad. I think Man U and Chelsea make competitive bids for him this summer. I think if Levy proves too tough, he runs his contract down and picks his destination next summer. If Spurs somehow end up being very competitive this upcoming season, he signs a new deal and stays at Spurs.
I believe that they kinda do. Or more charitably, with the way the sport has evolved, players and the fans view 50s/60s achievements less like baseball where we tend to be like "it's all the same stats, fair enough!" and treat the records as if they matter per se and more like basketball where that era of the game was so different that comparisons at the statistical level are almost pointless.
I don't think its about going abroad so much as about winning trophies. For players and fans in Europe, trophies are everything in terms of legacy. Statistical records just aren't that big of a deal. Who can name how many goals Messi scored for Barcelona off the top of their head? If he scored 50 more or 50 less would anybody care? No. His Barcelona legacy is all about being part of 4 CL winners and 10 La Liga winners, leading the way for almost all of those. Probably the most comparable thing is NFL QBs and Super Bowls or best NBA players and championships. But because football has always been about big clubs and all the biggest players end up at those clubs eventually, not winning anything for a big player is an even blacker mark against you in terms of legacy. The best player never to win a trophy in the modern game is probably Matt Le Tissier or Antonio Di Natale, two players who really aren't even comparable to Kane in terms of talent or impact, which sort of says it all.
I can definitely see him staying this summer, either for his reasons or Levy's, and waiting to pick his spot next year. But I don't think he'll have a better opportunity than Real Madrid. This would also be the way of best protecting his Spurs legacy in a way, in that he wouldn't have to play against them or help a rival to success. For Arsenal fans at least there is definitely a much greater willingness to look kindly on players who eventually left to go abroad (Cesc, Henry, Vieira) than players who left to strengthen a PL rival (RVP, Adebayor)
The Robbies were talking about this a few months ago, and they mentioned that Shearer is more famous for the goal scoring record than he is for leading Blackburn to a title. I can't quantify how important the scoring record is to Kane, but I think it's of sizable significance.
Yeah, I'm with Kliq on this one. People remember goalscorers and players whose style is indelible.
The thing with Kane is that he seems like an England homebody and I do think the EPL record matters to him. I could see United trying to swing a deal for him, but for this summer I think it's more likely he ends up in Madrid because Spurs control his rights. If he plays for Spurs next season and runs down his contract, then United, Chelsea (gag), and Arsenal (double gag) are in play. Maybe Newcastle or Liverpool as well?
Shearer is certainly more famous for holding the PL goal scoring record than for winning a title with Blackburn, but which is more important to him? I would wager very strongly that it is the latter.
I don't doubt that Kane might want to break this record or that he might see a move in which he could win big trophies AND break the record as the perfect outcome. But I also think his options within England are a bit limited realistically. He seems very image conscious and also loyal enough to Tottenham that he isn't going to Arsenal or Chelsea. He won't go to City as along as Haaland is there and it seems like that will be at least through 2025. Liverpool aren't a good fit with Nunez and Gakpo already, plus Klopp ball doesn't really jibe with an aging striker who can't press. So its really United or Newcastle and neither of those clubs will ensure chances at big trophies in the way that Real Madrid does and they might not even be realistic options in 2024 if they buy other strikers this summer.
I can see any outcome here but at its core this is a player who has limited time left at top level, surely wants to win big trophies more than anything else, and has a chance to go to the most successful club on the planet. I wouldn't underestimate the draw of that simple formula.