10 Transfer Predictions for the Premier League This Summer

There's not long to go now.

The end of the season will soon be here, and chairman, owners and chief executives will get together with their managers and start plotting who they are going to recruit this summer.

There's nowhere quite like the Premier League when it comes to transfer gossip, speculation and outrageous money.

Around £120 million was spent in the transfer window in January 2013, but that is expected to be beaten by the amounts splashed out between May and the end of August.

With UEFA's financial-fair-play regulations kicking in in full in 2015, the days of frivolous spending are numbered.

Nevertheless, the next few months are sure to be the usual mix of rumour, theory and 10s of millions of pounds.

The following list contains come well-known transfer links and some more obscure ones.

As always, feel free to add your own with your comments below.

Frank Lampard to Manchester United

Lampard could not be more of a legend at Chelsea, but his time at Stamford Bridge is drawing to a close.

The club have already said they are not going to offer him a new contract when his deal runs out at the end of the season, meaning this campaign will be his last.

Lampard looks odds on to become Chelsea's greatest-ever goalscorer, with three more needed to eclipse Bobby Tambling's record. 

For a midfield player, Lampard's achievement is remarkable.

He scored his 200th Chelsea goal in their last Premier League win over West Ham and will surely go on to beat Tambling's mark over the course of the final nine games of the season.

But, unless Roman Abramovich has a change of heart, Lampard's 12 years at The Bridge will end, and he will be forced to consider his next move.

There are obvious options in the MLS for Lampard, who will turn 35 in June, but he might just get his wish to stay in the Premier League courtesy of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Manchester United boss clearly does not see age as a barrier to potential deals, and, with Lampard still producing excellent performances, a switch to Old Trafford is very viable.

Asmir Begovic to Liverpool

Asmir Begovic went largely unnoticed in his 11 games for Portsmouth in the Premier League between May 2009 and January 2010. 

The fact that Portsmouth won only three times in that run probably explains why. 

However, the Bosnian's move to Stoke a month later changed all that.

Begovic has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of seasons and so far in 2012-13 has been outstanding. 

Only Joe Hart and Petr Cech have kept more clean sheets than Begovic's 10. He has also had more shots to handle (375) (via thescore.com).

Begovic is under contract with Stoke until 2015 but is expecting to leave the Britannia sooner rather than later—especially since the arrival of young England goalkeeper Jack Butland.

He has been linked with a number of top clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

With uncertainty surrounding the future of Pepe Reina at Liverpool following recent dips in form, new boss Brendan Rodgers could see Begovic as the ideal man to add competition to the ranks at Anfield.

Andy Carroll to Newcastle

Andy Carroll must long for the days he spent at Newcastle.

They were full of goals, success and non-stop adulation.

Since then nothing much has gone right.

Much has been written about his ill-fated move to Liverpool and a (so far at least) underwhelming loan spell with West Ham.

If, as expected, the Hammers do not make his move from Anfield permanent, serious questions will be raised about where the striker, who once cost £35 million, goes next.

He has no future under Brendan Rodgers, and the only other move of interest to him would be to see if his first love would take him back.

On the plus side, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is a fan.

At 24 Carroll fits the demography of signings under Mike Ashley, and the fans would surely not take long to warm to his re-arrival.

The only sticking point will be price.

Ashley won't want to pay half the figure they received for him in January 2011, but with support needed for Papiss Cisse, a fee around the £8 million mark might just do it.

For Carroll's sake, he better hope so.

Christian Benteke to Arsenal

After his illuminating displays for Aston Villa this season, Christian Benteke is sure to be one of the hottest domestic properties this summer.

The 22-year-old Belgian joined Villa for £7 million from Genk last summer and has been a revelation in a team that has struggled.

He has scored 17 goals so far—22 if you count his strikes for his country (via soccerbase.com).

The likelihood of him leaving Villa Park depends greatly on whether the club stays in the Premier League.

If Villa go down, he will certainly leave. If they survive, he may not fancy another season of toil.

Whatever happens Benteke will be in demand. 

Of the top clubs, Arsenal look best placed to take him.

They would be able to meet Villa's likely asking price of £15 million (less if they go down), and, with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud the most reliable of Arsene Wenger's options up front, the addition of the coltish Benteke would bring an extra physicality to the Gunners' play.

Barcelona's David Villa has long been linked with a move to the Emirates, but boss Arsene Wenger has moved to dampen that idea.

Chelsea to Cut Losses on Fernando Torres

How do you solve a problem like Fernando?

Well, you ship him out to the highest bidder (presuming there are some) or you consider taking the financial hit of negotiating a severance deal with the player.

Despite showing flashes of the form that persuaded Chelsea to part with £50 million to sign him from Liverpool in January 2011, Torres has proved an expensive failure.

How Chelsea now off-load him is a delicate task.

There have been persistent rumours of a swap deal with Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao—whose manger, Diego Simeone, is keen on the idea.

Sorting out the finances will be tricky. A straight swap for Falcao is ridiculous.

Valuing Torres at more than £15 million pounds is also a bit far fetched. 

Then there are Torres's wages, reportedly around £175,000 per week.

He would have to take a massive pay cut anyway if he left Chelsea, but maybe the prospect of a return to his first club would be enough to allow that compromise.

Failing that, the likes of PSG, Inter Milan and AC Milan may firm up their interest.

Robert Lewandowski to Manchester United

The brilliant Pole Robert Lewandowski is likely to be one of the most sought-after players across Europe this summer.

The 24-year-old is the Bundesliga's top scorer this season, with 19 goals (via whoscored.com), and has already said he will not sign a new contract at Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund are expecting the striker to leave and, with the prospect of losing him for nothing in a year's time, will be keen to push a deal through over the next few months.

Manchester United seem favourites but will be waring of Bayern Munich's threat under new coach Pep Guardiloa.

If United can persuade him to have a change of scenery, he will be an excellent addition to their attacking potency—especially with Wayne Rooney's star seemingly on the wane. No pun intended.

Radamel Falcao to Chelsea

Regardless of what happens with Fernando Torres, Chelsea will push on with their effort to make sure they seal a deal for Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao.

Ever since the Colombian shattered the Blues with a hat-trick in the Super Cup final in August 2012, he has been a wanted man at Stamford Bridge.

Falcao has scored 21 goals in 25 appearances in La Liga so far this season (via whoscored.com).

In a league containing Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, to be third in the charts is no mean feat.

It is thought that Falcao would cost around £50 million, but with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich keen to see his side close the gap on Manchester United and Manchester City, that is not thought to be much of an issue.

Yaya Toure to PSG

The recent admission from Yaya Toure's agent that the Manchester City midfielder is thinking of leaving the club has sent the rumour mill turning.

Last season, Toure was an outstanding presence in the Premier League and a key man as City sneaked the title from Manchester United. 

But after three years at The Etihad Stadium, Toure looks like moving on, with no new contract being agreed.

His massive wages at City, apparently around £250,000 per week, will put off all but the most affluent of suitors. 

At that level there really only appear to be two options: PSG and Anzhi Makhachkala.

I'm plumping for France over Russia.

Luis Suarez to Bayern Munich

It all depends who you believe the most when it comes to Luis Suarez's future.

Unsurprisingly Liverpool are adamant that their Uruguayan superstar is going nowhere.

What gives potential buyers hope is Suarez himself.

He said, in a now-infamous interview while on international duty, that he would consider moving to a club that could offer him Champions League football. 

That pricked the ears of Europe's big guns.

There are few better strikers in the Premier League than Suarez, who has netted 29 times so far this season.

There are few more controversial players, either, with Suarez's reputation somewhat tarnished by his diving antics and his racism row with Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Whatever Liverpool may say in public, they know they could more than double the £22 million they spent on signing Suarez from Ajax in January 2011 if they sold.

With debts recently reported at £40 million, a balmy offer cannot be rejected out of hand.

The news that a rejuvenated Pep Guardiola is returning to football with Bayern Munich will lead to inevitable attraction.

Guardiola reportedly has pots of money to spend, too, and the thought of seeing Suarez join the likes of Mario Mandzukic, Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez is enough to whet anyone's appetite.

Edinson Cavani to Manchester City

Manchester City will want to flex their financial muscles this summer after failing to spectacularly to mount a serious defence of their Premier League title.

Their bottomless purse has transformed their fortunes over the last four years, but their lack of impact both domestically and in the Champions League means they won't be afraid to splash out again.

At the top of their list is Napoli's Uruguayan sensation Edinson Cavani.

He has had great season in Serie A, scoring 20 goals in 26 games for the Azzurri. He is the deadliest and busiest striker in division (via the score.com).

Cavani will come at a hefty price, of course.

The club's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has already claimed it will take around £60 million to prize his greatest asset away from Naples.

As we have seen in the past with Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Robinho, City don't normally blink at price tags if it's for a special player.

And Cavani is that special.