European Football Transfer Rumours: 25 Huge Moves That Could Still Happen

August 31, the deadline for the summer transfer window, looms. We continue to wonder if there will be some blockbuster trades leading into the deadline.

Obviously there won't be 25 blockbuster trades—more likely a couple clustered within 10 or so notable trades.

This article will list 25 trades, some blockbuster, some notable.

Which Manchester has Wesley Sneijder chosen? Find out. 

Raúl

From: Schalke 

To: Blackburn Rovers

According to Alan Nixon at Mirror Football, Blackburn Rovers will make an audacious bid for Real Madrid legend Raúl.

The bid will be financed by Venky's London Limited, but the move will be based on Raúl's willingness to test himself in the English Premier League, as opposed to luring him with money. 

Blackburn Rovers will hope the influence of longtime Real Madrid teammate and friend Míchel Salgado can persuade Raúl to don the blue and white.      

Gabriel Obertan

From: Manchester United

To: Newcastle United

According to BBC Sport, Gabriel Obertan will join the emerging French contingent at St James' Park. 

Obertan's time at Old Trafford was disappointing, and the red flag was when he was loaned out to Lorient in his final season at Bordeaux because he couldn't get first-team games.

Manchester United chose to overlook the red flag, and three seasons later, they were wrong to do so.  

Samir Nasri

From: Arsenal

To: Manchester City 

Surely, Arsène Wenger will not allow another "Mathieu Flamini" incident, where he trusts someone he's brought up, who then says, "Oh no, I'm going for free."

Right now, Wenger has to gauge how serious Samir Nasri is in leaving. If he is dead serious, sell him now. 

Sell him to the club who can shell out £20-25 million for Nasri, regardless of the fact that he can be signed for free next season.

Do I hear Manchester City?   

Joey Barton

From: Newcastle United

To: Liverpool

Five months ago, the Daily Mail reported that Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was contemplating a £5 million move for Joey Barton.

Since then, Liverpool have bought Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam, while Barton is free to leave Newcastle for nothing. 

Why not sign Barton for free?  

Bryan Ruiz

From: Twente

To: Tottenham Hotspur

A tall, elegant and efficient forward, Bryan Ruiz isn't on the radars of many but potentially could be a good signing. 

Barry Glendenning at guardian.co.uk reported that Ruiz said, "Spurs are a great club. I'd say that the chance that I'll leave Twente is 50 per cent."

Presumably the barrier to Ruiz calling White Hart Lane home is the transfer fee.

Twente value Ruiz at £13.75 million, his release clause. Spurs want to try lower that figure. 

As they should, as the likes of Jari Litmanen, Mateja Kežman and Afonso Alves have proved that just because you look like a stud in the Eredivisie doesn't mean you can replicate that form in the English Premier League. 

Spurs will also remember Mounir El Hamdaoui, a player who couldn't break into their team, yet has become one of the best players in the Eredivisie.       

Dimitar Berbatov

From: Manchester United

To: Paris Saint-Germain

A day after clearing the rumours about selling Dimitar Berbatov to Paris Saint-Germain, Sir Alex Ferguson benched the Bulgarian in the Community Shield. 

Even without Chicharito, Berbatov still can't start. 

One has to wonder if Ferguson is trying to throw Berbatov out of Old Trafford. 

Why Paris Saint-Germain?

Like Manchester City, they are banked by ridiculously wealthy suitors and have aspirations of not only conquering France but also dominating Europe.

Berbatov would be a welcome addition to Paris, as the club is already paying a king's ransom for talented Argentine Javier Pastore. 

Gary Cahill

From: Bolton Wanderers

To: Arsenal 

If Gary Cahill wants to progress his career, he'll leave this summer, and Bolton Wanderers will be forced to relinquish him at a cut price. 

Either that or Bolton risk losing Cahill for nothing next season.

Bolton should ask for £7 million to £10 million, which is more reasonable than holding out for a larger transfer fee.   

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

From: Southampton

To: Arsenal 

Arsenal will be hoping 17-year-old prodigy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will continue performing in years to come like Saints' alumni Matt Le Tissier, Alan Shearer, Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale.   

Southern Daily Echo reported Chamberlain's father stating, "To develop at a place like Arsenal can't be a bad thing. In my eyes, I'd like to see him go there as soon as possible, and continue his development."   

Juan Manuel Mata

From: Valencia

To: Arsenal 

Valencia have insisted Juan Manuel Mata is not leaving, even though the club struggles daily to balance their books with debts of around €500 million.

If Arsenal sell Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri, they can then table a substantial offer that Valencia cannot refuse, given no club has yet to offer £22 million. 

Valencia are hoping Paris Saint-Germain start bidding. 

Lukas Podolski

From: Köln

To: Tottenham Hotspur

After a frustrating period at Bayern Munich, Lukas Podolski has returned to the club that produced him. 

Yet this season, Podolski was stripped of his captaincy and fiery manager Ståle Solbakken admitted to Eurosport.com that Podolski could leave.  

In an attempt to keep Luka Modrić happy, Tottenham Hotspur may bid for Podolski and will certainly be the highest bidders.  

Shaun Wright-Phillips

From: Manchester City

To: Bolton Wanderers 

With Lee Chung-Yong out with a broken leg, manager Owen Coyle may move for reserve Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Wright-Phillips looked sharp for Manchester City during preseason, though his wages may block the transfer from happening. 

Wright-Phillips has to ask himself if he is happy sitting on the bench earning £60,000 a week or playing regular first-team football for a lot less.       

Riccardo Montolivo

From: Fiorentina

To: A.C. Milan

A.C. Milan fans will be disappointed if "Mr. X" is Riccardo Montolivo. While he's been a good player, he's had an average season for Fiorentina.

With the departure of Andrea Pirlo to Juventus, signing Montolivo is a no-brainer, yet the transfer has continued to elongate.   

I wonder what prompted Montolivo, who was the captain, to force a transfer away from Fiorentina. 

Nilmar

From: Villarreal

To: Roma

According to Il Corriere dello Sport (h/t soccernews.com), Roma will add Villarreal forward Nilmar to their ranks.

Nilmar scored 18 goals in 44 games last season and would be considered a natural replacement for Mirko Vučinić, who left for Juventus.  

Joe Cole

From: Liverpool

To: Paris Saint-Germain

According to The Sun, big-spending Paris Saint-Germain will offer Joe Cole a Parisian exit route from his Anfield nightmare.

Given Cole's dramatic loss of form, it would be more of a publicity transfer than one based on what he could provide for the club.

However a change of atmosphere may be what Cole needs to revitalize his career, which sharply descended in recent seasons.  

Lassana Diarra

From: Real Madrid

To: Tottenham Hotspur

Manager José Mourinho doesn't see Lassana Diarra as a regular first-team player but a role player or a midfielder in a rotation system. 

Diarra has a habit of knee-jerking when things are not going his way. He did at Chelsea and moved to Arsenal. Then he moved from Arsenal to Portsmouth, and when Real Madrid came calling, he was on the first flight to Madrid. 

talkSPORT believe Diarra wants to quit Real Madrid but isn't willing to move to Spurs if his salary is significantly cut. 

Alexandre Pato

From: A.C. Milan

To: Chelsea 

Alexandre Pato has been mercurial in showing only glimpses of his vast potential but has yet to dominate for A.C. Milan. 

According to Jack Atchinson at caughtoffside.com, Chelsea will offer £20 million plus Nicolas Anelka or Salomon Kalou for Pato. 

For the record, that's too much for Pato. But Chelsea have a habit of selling themselves short.

It's up to A.C. Milan whether they want to persist with Pato's potential or sell him off, presuming he'll never fully develop into a world-class footballer.   

Emmanuel Adebayor

From: Manchester City

To: Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has told Emmanuel Adebayor to forget about his future at Eastlands.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have been silent in re-signing Adebayor. 

Jamie Jackson at guardian.co.uk reported that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was interested in signing Adebayor. 

Right now, Adebayor has really nowhere to go, and it would beneficial for his career if he lowered his wage demands to move to White Hart Lane.        

Samuel Eto'o

From: Inter Milan

To: Anzhi Makhachkala

Even though Samuel Eto'o doesn't want a move away from Milan, Goal.com have reported that Anzhi Makhachkala are willing to pay Eto'o €20 million per year. 

Based on salary, he'd become the highest-paid player in the world.

Eto'o is a winner. Anzhi Makhachkala have yet to build a squad that would make them Russian champions, let alone European champions. 

Also the extreme racism in Russia may be a turn off for Eto'o and his family.  

Erik Pieters

From: PSV Eindhoven

To: Newcastle United 

According to Jeremy Butler at Mirror Football, Newcastle United will sign PSV Eindhoven left back Erik Pieters to cover the departure of José Enrique. 

Pieters reminds me a lot of Vedran Ćorluka and could prove to be a smart signing. But how much is Newcastle willing to fork out?   

José Enrique

From: Newcastle United

To: Liverpool

Liverpool need a dependable left back, and they'll get that with José Enrique, who has one year left at Tyneside.

Unless Newcastle are willing to let Enrique go for free next year, like they have with Joey Barton this season, this transfer is inevitable. 

Yann M'Vila

From: Rennes

To: Inter Milan 

Yann M'Vila became a viable Chelsea target after Michael Essien's injury. But according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Goal.com), Inter Milan see M'Vila as a project who they can develop in years to come. 

Rennes is believed to be holding out for €15 million, though it is unlikely Inter Milan will bid that high. 

Carlos Tévez

From: Manchester City

To: Inter Milan

According to Martin Lipton at Mirror Football, Inter Milan will send Maicon to Manchester City in return for Carlos Tévez. 

With Manchester City effectively replacing Tévez with Sergio Agüero, Inter Milan are playing hardball saying you don't need him, so have Maicon. 

Maicon has looked out of shape, and it was never more evident than when Gareth Bale humiliated him in two parts.

That being said, Maicon did have an excellent game against Chievo Verona in April, but that was Chievo—not A.C. Milan or even Spurs.

Manchester City are better off keeping Tévez and hoping to comes to terms with no club wanting to sign him and that he will do his part for Manchester City off the bench.     

Luka Modrić

From: Tottenham Hotspur

To: Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur have consistently said Luka Modrić will not leave, even though the Croatian wants to win trophies. 

But will they change that position if Modrić goes on strike, refuses to play or even does a William Gallas and threatens to score own goals? 

Spurs have to inflate the transfer fee as high as possible because Roman Abramovich has shown to be an easy target to rip off. 

If Chelsea refuse to pay £35 million-plus, Spurs can only hope Modrić will remain a professional. 

Cesc Fàbregas

From: Arsenal

To: Barcelona

By then end of the month, we'll either see a jubilant Cesc Fàbregas returning home, or we'll see an unhappy and unenthusiastic Fàbregas putting nothing on the line for Arsenal. 

Sell him. 

It's become a lose-lose situation for manager Arsène Wenger. With the new season starting in five days time, Arsenal need reinforcement.

Primarily in defence, and if they don't have funds, selling Fàbregas will inject them with the cash they need to buy one or even two solid and dependable centre backs. 

Wenger should ask for €25 million to €30 million and Thiago Alcântara, but it seems he'll be forced to fold and sell Fàbregas for €35 million to €40 million. 

Victor Valdés stroked the flames, telling The People (h/t gunnersphere.com), "We expect to see Cesc in the Barca dressing room soon."   

Wesley Sneijder

From: Inter Milan

To: Manchester City 

Is he leaving? No, he's staying. Oh wait, he's leaving.

Wesley Sneijder's candidness has revealed Inter Milan's real intentions throughout this summer. They were always going to sell him.

Why would they have spent €11.75 million on Ricardo Álvarez if they were going to use him as a squad player? 

Sneijder told Voetbal International magazine (h/t IBN Live), "All I know is that Inter need money and apparently I'm for sale for the right amount."

Considering Manchester City's collapse against Manchester United in the Community Shield, it may prompt manager Roberto Mancini to kneejerk and sign Wesley Sneijder. 

How he'll fit into the team, who knows? But if there was any case where a rotation system could be beneficial, it would be for Manchester City.

They are rotating world-class players for world-class players.

Disregards tactics, Manchester City must block Manchester United from signing Sneijder. If a Manchester United midfield can comprehensively outplay Manchester City without Sneijder, what will happen if they have Sneijder?

Please read European Football Transfers: Top 10 Rumours of the Week