6 World Football Transfer Targets Who Need a Fresh Start

The unpredictability of the transfer window continues to run through World Football, with some of the most surprising transfers occurring this summer.

Radamel Falcao has already joined Monaco in a whopping £50 million deal, along with former Porto teammates Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez, who cost a further £63 million.

David Villa opted to reject the overtures of the Premier League to join Copa del Rey winners Atletico Madrid from La Liga rivals Barcelona, while Fiorentina pulled off a coup by convincing Mario Gomez to sign from European Champions Bayern Munich in a deal worth £17 million.

And so as the window moves into full swing, we take a look at some stars who perhaps need a fresh start after a long period with their clubs.

There's four Uruguay players in the picture above, celebrating a goal in the Confederations Cup. Can you guess which one of them is going to leave their club summer? Neither can we.

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Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

After spending nine years with Manchester United, Wayne Rooney has hinted he wants to leave Old Trafford, citing a new challenge as the reason for his departure, per Goal.com.

The 27-year-old has been a revelation since joining from Everton for £27 million back in 2004, scoring 197 goals in 400 appearances for the Red Devils.

And while this isn't the first time the England international has attempted to leave the club, many expected him to stay in Lancashire for the rest of his career after making a dramatic U-turn on his decision to leave almost three years ago.

But it seems that after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, Rooney feels it's the right time to move on. And it's fair to say there's unlikely to be a shortage of admirers.

Chelsea and Arsenal have been credited with an interest in signing the forward, who scored 16 goals last season in 36 appearances, while moves to Barcelona and Bayern Munich have also been mentioned amongst the summer transfer rumours, per The Mirror.

Either way, new Manchester United boss David Moyes will be hoping to convince the striker his future remains at the club as the Scot begins a new era at the Premier League champions.

Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)

Even despite his goalscoring record, Gonzalo Higuain has never been viewed as the first-choice striker at Real Madrid.

The Argentina frontman has struck an impressive total of 106 goals in 187 La Liga appearances since a €12 million move from River Plate back in 2007.

But as Sid Lowe from The Guardian explains, Higuain has never been worshipped at the Santiago Bernabeu despite his impressive haul of trophies and goals to the extent he is now pushing for an exit.

Juventus were said to be frontrunners for his signature, per ESPN, before they signed Carlos Tevez from Manchester City. The only concrete option that remains for the 25-year-old is a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal known to be closing in on a £23 million deal for Higuain according to The Guardian.

The striker, born in France, still possesses great quality and, given the chance, can show why he is regarded as one of the world's best out-and-out strikers.

His record of 20 goals in 32 games for Argentina is a better ratio than Lionel Messi's, and that goes some way to showing how prolific he is.

Thiago (Barcelona)

It's a wonder that Europe's elite aren't currently scrapping for Thiago Alcantara's signature at present. Perhaps they did not watch the European Under-21 Championship like the rest of us.

Because if they did, they would have witnessed the highly-rated attacking midfielder slicing the opposition's defence in half with some breathtaking moments of play.

Whether it was scoring goals, making them for his teammates or even intercepting passes from the opposition, the Italy-born midfielder showed his true credentials in Israel.

A contractual blunder from Barcelona means that instead of Thiago's release clause reaching a whopping €90 million, the amount is an affordable €18 million, as the club failed to play him in the minimum amount of games.

The contract wrangle has certainly got Manchester United manager David Moyes interested, per Sky Sports, as he bids to make his first big-name signing as manager. However, according to The Express, Pep Guardiola is reported to be interested in bringing the player he gave his debut to his new club Bayern Munich.

It promises to be an enticing battle, but whoever wins the race will be getting a superb player destined to be at the top of World Football for years to come.

Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem)

The saying goes that "form is temporary, class is permanent", and with a move waiting in the wings, Swansea City fans will be hoping Wilfried Bony's goalscoring exploits are related to the latter.

The Ivory Coast international, who joined Vitesse Arnhem in 2011 from Sparta Prague, has enjoyed a fruitful spell in Holland, bagging an incredible total of 31 goals in just 30 games as Vitesse finished fourth in the Eredivisie.

And his performances have certainly not gone unnoticed, with several Premier League clubs lining up a swoop for the 24-year-old.

However, Sky Sports report that Swansea City have agreed a £12 million deal with the Dutch club to take the highly-rated forward to the Liberty Stadium after protracted negotiations.

A powerful forward with pace and agility, give Bony a chance to score and he will. He's been earmarked as the player who will replace Didier Drogba as the nation's main striker when the former Chelsea legend retires, and with eight goals in 20 caps, it's hard to disagree.

Michael Laudrup has undoubtedly pulled off a magnificent coup by signing him, and the Dane will be hoping his record transfer buy can make a positive impact in England.

Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

He's the darling of the Napoli fans, the one that they will never let go of. But has Marek Hamsik achieved all he can at the San Paolo?

The Slovakia captain joined the Partenopei from Brescia six years ago after starting his career at Slovan Bratislava, the biggest club in the former Soviet state. At the time, the €5 million fee was a gamble for a player with much promise.

And it has certainly paid off. Still only 25 years old, Hamsik is the key man and was influential as the club won the 2012 Coppa Italia, their first trophy in 20 years.

A player with much elegance and poise, his eye for a pass is incredible and usually plays as the No. 10 for both Napoli and Slovakia.

In terms of creativity, only Juan Mata and Andres Iniesta created more goals for teammates than Hamsik did (17) in the top five European leagues last season, while he scored a respectable amount of 11 goals in his 37 appearances.

It gives some insight as to why Hamsik would be a valuable addition to any side, although with Napoli in the Champions League next season, there's no reason to suggest why the midfielder would want to leave. 

Nevertheless, his ambition to succeed and win more trophies could see a move happen in the not-too-distant future.

Ezequiel Garay (Benfica)

Arguably, central defence is not an area that Manchester United need to stock up, but certainly, David Moyes has his eye on his first signing as manager of the Red Devils.

And that man is Argentina international Ezequiel Garay, formerly on the books of Real Madrid, who now plies his trade for Europa League finalists Benfica.

A strong centre back with immense aerial ability at 6'4", he made 42 appearances last season for the Eagles, and was a key part of their impressive campaign which unfortunately ended in disappointment.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has impressed visiting scouts with assured performances at the back, and there were some reports that suggested his former club wanted to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to Spanish paper Marca.

According to the same article, Garay has a buyout clause of €20 million, and Moyes has been given the green light to make an offer to lure the former Racing Santander defender to Old Trafford, per The Mirror.

If Garay were to make the transition to the Premier League, it would certainly give him the opportunity to improve his game and possibly replace the ageing Rio Ferdinand in the Manchester United side.