Ranking the Week's 25 Hottest Transfer Rumours
Instead of scouring the Internetย for the latest football transfer gossip, Bleacher Report makes your life easier by providing you with a weekly power ranking of the 25 hottest transfer rumours in one slideshow.
Whether it is theย Eredivisie, English Premier League, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, La Liga, alternative European leagues or non-European leagues, this slideshow will be inclusive.
These 25 players will be subjectively ranked via a combination of various standards:
- Current playing ability.
- Potential playing ability.
- Footballer's name recognition.
- Newsworthiness.
- Social media buzz.
- Potential transfer value.
25. Freddy Adu
1 of 25
Free Agentย โ Major League Soccer Trials, perย Steven Goff at The Washington Post.
According to Steven Goff's sources, two MLS teams are are willing to giveย United States attacking midfielderย Freddy Adu, 25, an extended tryout.
You presumeย Adu has at least seven figures in his bank account (hopefully, he hasn't done anย Antoine Walker).
Ifย Adu is financially secure, the worst thing he can do is sit around waiting for another offer that meets what he considers acceptable.ย
He needs to understand his transfer stock has bottomed out.ย
He will only improve by getting his confidence up, meaning he needs to accumulate goals and assists, which only come via regular reps.
How about dropping down a level financially and reputation-wise by playing in theย North American Soccer League?
24. Tim Cahill
2 of 25
New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer) โ Al Wahda (United Arab Emirates Arabian Gulf League), per Ahmed Rizvi at The National.
Australia centre-forward/central midfielderย Tim Cahill, 35, cashing out in the Middle East is well deserved because he spent seven seasons grafting atย Millwall.
He would have scored more than two goals inย MLS last season if he was given a free-roaming role.
However, Bradley Wright-Phillips scoring 31 goals meantย New York Red Bulls made the 29-year-old the main man.
New York Red Bulls managerย Jesse Marsch revealed that the club will have frank talks afterย Cahill finishes his Asian Cup campaign with Australia.
"It's hard to know if [Cahill]ย wants to be here or not,"ย Marsch said, perย Brian Lewis ofย The New York Post. "We have to have a hard discussion with him to figure out if he wants to be here."
If the proposed move to Al Wahda collapses,ย Cahill should seriously consider playing in Australia's A-League, in which he would bring publicity and help develop the game in the country he loves.
23. Juan Agudelo
3 of 25
Free Agentย โย New England Revolutionย (Major League Soccer), perย Ives Galarcep at Goal.
United States forwardย Juan Agudelo, 22, is set to abandon his European dream by returning toย MLS.ย
He never received a chance to play for Stoke City in the English Premier League because twoย work-permitย applicationsย were turned down.
When Agudeloย was at Utrecht,ย he showed promise.
His three goals and three assists in 14 Eredivisie games is solid, considering he averagedย 63.4 minutesย per game.
It only takes that one team to believe inย Agudelo and he can succeed in Europe.
However, it seemsย Agudelo will rebuild his career with theย New England Revolution.
You assume job security was a big draw forย Agudelo because he will have a contract until 2018, per Jeff Carlisle at ESPN FC.
22. Scott Sinclair
4 of 25
Manchester City (English Premier League)ย โย Aston Villaย (English Premier League), perย John Percy at The Telegraph.
English wingerย Scott Sinclair, 25, is fed up with being inactive at Manchester City and hopeful of being loaned toย Aston Villa.
Sinclair has only played three minutes in the Premier League for Manchester Cityย this season.
Whileย Sinclair has exponentially expanded his personal wealth, he has debilitated his career by being a squad player atย Manchester City.
21. Nick Powell
5 of 25
Manchester United (English Premier League)ย โย Hull City (English Premier League), per the Daily Mirror.
Hull City managerย Steve Bruce, who played 414 games for Manchester United, is willing to take troubled English attacking midfielderย Nick Powell, 20, on loan.
Powell was previously on loan atย Leicester City, but he was sent back toย Manchester United due to his deteriorating attitude toward training, perย John Percy atย The Telegraph.
There are clear character problems withย Powell because when he was on loan atย Wigan Athletic, he pleaded guilty to drink driving, perย Wigan Today.
Powell has the talent to be on the books ofย Manchester United, but he needs to work hard to ensure he capitalises on his once-in-a-lifetime chance.
As the expression goes: "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard."
20. Luca Marrone
6 of 25
Juventus (Italian Serie A)ย โย Cordoba (La Liga), perย David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.
Juventus central midfielder/centre-backย Luca Marrone, 24, will transfer toย Cordoba on loan.
Marrone can control the tempo of play in midfield forย Cordoba.
Last season,ย Marrone was on loan atย Sassuolo, averaging 35.5 passes per game.ย During the 2012-13 season, he averaged 48.9 passes per game forย Juve.
19. Efe Ambrose
7 of 25
Celtic (Scottish Premiership)ย โย Olympiacos (Super League Greece), perย Stephen McGowan at the Daily Mail.
Celtic defender Efe Ambrose, 26, is aย โฌ4/ยฃ3 million transfer target forย Olympiacos.
However,ย Ambrose will not be moving toย Olympiacos,ย according to his agentย Dudu Dahan, perย John McGill at Glasgow'sย Evening Times.
Ambrose is a hit-and-miss defender.
He regularlyย cuts off passes, but he is prone to defensive lapses.
18. Tino-Sven Susic
8 of 25
Hajduk Split (Prva HNL)ย โย Newcastle United and West Ham United (English Premier League), perย Duncan Castles at Bleacher Report.
Bosnia and Herzegovina wingerย Tino-Sven Susic, 22, is being chased by a "group of Premier League clubs," withย Newcastle United and West Ham United leading the pack.ย
According toย Castles,ย Susic is valued by Hajduk Split atย โฌ5/ยฃ3.7 million.ย
Susicย played at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was lively in a 3-1 win over Iran.ย
Originally placed on the left wing,ย Susic moved inside, operating as a left-sided central midfielder.
17. Leonardo Bittencourt
9 of 25
Hannover 96 (Germanย Bundesliga)ย โย Liverpool (English Premier League), per Bild (h/tย talkSPORT).
German wingerย Leonardo Bittencourt, 21, is aย Brendan Rodgers-type player: versatile and industrious.
That said,ย Bittencourt has been a bit-part player forย Hannover 96 this season.ย
Despite his immense talent,ย he is regressingย instead of progressing.
Bundesliga Player Ranking
16. Bafetimbi Gomis
10 of 25
Swansea City (English Premier League)ย โย West Ham United (English Premier League), perย Alan Nixon at The Sun.
Swansea centre-forwardย Bafetimbi Gomis, 29, is aย โฌ10.7/ยฃ8 million transfer target forย West Ham United.
Really?
Gomis has been found out in the Premier League, only scoring one goal inย 699 minutes over 18 games.
It does not seem like aย West Ham United-esque transfer.
Hypothetically, someone such as Lorient's French centre-forwardย Benjamin Jeannot, 23, would be a smarter and cheaper target than Gomis.
| League 2014-15 | Benjamin Jeannot | Bafetimbi Gomis |
| Goals/Games | 6/20 | 1/18 |
| Goals Per Game | 0.30 | 0.06 |
| Shots Per Goal | 6.2 | 34 |
| Shooting Accuracy % | 51.4 | 14.7 |
15. Danilo Pantic
11 of 25
Partizan (Serbian SuperLiga)ย โ Chelsea (English Premier League), perย Vecernje novosti (h/tย James Beng atย London Evening Standard).
Partizan central midfielderย Danilo Pantic, 18, is expecting to move to Chelsea.
"Going to Chelsea would be the best solution for me and for Partizan,"ย Pantic said,ย perย Vecernje novosti (h/tย James Beng atย London Evening Standard). "A transfer should be done this week."
Pantic seems to have no filter and is outspoken, perย Igor Mladenovic at the Guardian:ย
"The angry words were posted on the Facebook wall of Partizan Belgrade midfielder Danilo Pantic, who reportedly signed a pre-agreement with Juventus this year.
'People do not know how tough we have it,' he wrote. 'What success means to us. How much we want to fight for this country that gave us a family and a bit of land under the sky.'
"
You should keep that outburst as context behindย Panticย revealing his proposed transfer to Chelsea.
It seemsย Pantic is attempting to force a transfer to Chelsea.
How good is Pantic?
He was anonymous in a 0-0 draw againstย Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League, starting on the left but eventually playing a left-sided central midfield role.ย
He completed 80.4 percent of his 26.8 passes per game in theย Europa League, so his statistics aren't great.
When Panticย played at the 2014ย UEFA European U19 Championship, he was omitted from the Team of the Tournament.
Instead, theย UEFA technicalย observers selected two of his teammates:
- Srdjan Babic (Vojvodina centre-back, 18).
- Vukasin Jovanovic (Red Star Belgrade centre-back, 18).
It appears Chelsea are projectingย Pantic's upside as opposed to signing him based on his form.ย
14. Ravel Morrison
12 of 25
West Ham United (English Premier League)ย โย Lazio (Italianย Serie A), perย BBC Sport.
English attacking midfielderย Ravel Morrison, 21, is in Rome to complete his transfer toย Lazio.
Morrison operates at his best in a free-roaming No. 10 role in which he is allowed flexibility in the attacking half.
However,ย Lazio play a 4-3-3, so he will be expected to defend if he plays as a central midfielder.
Does he have the tacticalย disciplineย and team-first mentality to thrive in that role? No.ย
Perhaps,ย Lazio see him as a super sub.
13. Emmanuel Adebayor
13 of 25
Tottenham Hotspur (English Premier League)ย โย Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1), per Matt Law at The Telegraph.ย
Tottenham Hotspur's Togo centre-forwardย Emmanuel Adebayor, 30, is a loan target forย Paris Saint-Germain, whose management are willing to cover hisย โฌ134,328/ยฃ100,000-per-week wages.
Adebayor's struggles have enabled English centre-forwardย Harry Kane, 21, to flourish atย White Hart Lane.
Kane has scored eight times in the Premier League this season, whileย Adebayor has nettedย twice.
Adebayor's season was disrupted by personal problems, which led toย Tottenham granting him aย leave of absence, per BBC Sport.
12. Dimitar Berbatov
14 of 25
Monaco (French Ligue 1)ย โย Queens Park Rangers (English Premier League), perย Tony Stenson at the Daily Star.
Monaco's Bulgarian centre-forwardย Dimitar Berbatov, 33, could be returning to the Premier League.
The transfer rumour is a bit odd.
Queens Park Rangers' English centre-forwardย Charlie Austin, 25, is the third top goalscorer in the Premier League withย 13 goals in 20 games.ย
Berbatov would be a lavish substitute.ย
If Monaco discardย Berbatov, it is riskyย to throw French centre-forwardย Anthony Martial, 19, into the deep end as the team's go-to guy for goals.ย
Monaco could loseย Berbatov's creative influence while also stuntingย Martial's development.
11. Franck Tabanou
15 of 25
Saint-Etienne (French Ligue 1)ย โย Swansea City (English Premier League), perย Gareth Vincent at the South Wales Evening Post.
French left-back/left-wingerย Franck Tabanou, 25, is a broad-shouldered defender who is strong in the air.
He has contributed toย Saint-Etienne having the best defence in Ligue 1 (14 goals conceded from 22 games).
Tabanou's agent, Philippe Lamboley, confirmed talks have taken place betweenย Saint-Etienne andย Swansea City over his client, per BBC Sport.
However,ย Saint-Etienne are playing hardball, tellingย Swansea City thatย Tabanou will not be sold this window, per Eurosport (h/tย Phil Blanche atย Press Association Sport via the Daily Mail).
10. Vlad Chiriches
16 of 25
Tottenham Hotspur (English Premier League)ย โย Roma (Italian Serie A), per Simon Jones at the Daily Mail.
Romania defender Vlad Chiriches, 25, is David Luiz-like in his approach to defending.
That means frenetic moments, errors and inconsistency, which isย whyย Tottenham Hotspur are trying to sell him.
However, theย flip side isย Chiriches can bring the ball out of defence, link up effectively with midfielders and he is a creative outlet in possession.
9. Luiz Adriano
17 of 25
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian Premier League) โ Roma (Italian Serie A), per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.
Shakhtar Donetsk centre-forwardย Luiz Adriano, 27, will become a primary transfer target for Roma shouldย Mattia Destro, 23, leave for AC Milan.
Adriano has received a lot of attention this season for his UEFA Champions League exploits.
However, eight of his nine goals in the Champions League this campaign have come againstย BATE Borisov.
8. Mattia Destro
18 of 25
Roma (Italian Serie A)ย โ AC Milanย (Italian Serie A), perย La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/tย Football Italia).
Italy centre-forwardย Mattia Destro, 23, is poised to joinย AC Milan on loan forย โฌ2/ยฃ1.5 million with aย โฌ15/ยฃ11.2 million option to make it a permanent deal.ย
Destro has scored five goalsย inย 16 Serie A games this season, and he has a 54.5 percent shooting accuracy.
Keep in mind, he is only a starter in 50 percent of games he is involved in.ย
What does this mean?ย He scores in limited minutes.
7. Jose Gaya
19 of 25
Valencia (La Liga)ย โ Real Madridย (La Liga), perย Jose Felix Diaz at Marca.
Valencia left-backย Jose Gaya, 19, has been earmarked asย Real Madrid's future left-back.
Gaya is excellent going forward, able to zip past opposing players and create scoring chances for his teammates.
Additionally, Gayaย completes 86.2 percent of his tackles.
He is a world-class prospect.
However, Valencia's director of football Francisco Rufete has refuted the reports of the playerย joiningย Real Madrid.
"We don't have to send out messages to anyone,"ย Rufeteย said, perย Valencia TV (h/t Sky Sports). "We are confident [Gaya]ย will remain at Valencia for many years."
6. Nathaniel Clyne
20 of 25
Southampton (English Premier League)ย โย Manchester Unitedย (English Premier League), perย Izzy Horsefield at the Daily Express.
Southampton right-backย Nathaniel Clyne, 23, has bloomed sinceย Calum Chambers, 20, moved toย Arsenal.
Clyne andย Chambers interchanged as starting right-backs forย Southampton last season.
Post-Chambers,ย Clyne has been eliteย forย Southampton: 4.2 tackles per game, 80.8 tackle success rate and 84 tackles to 11 fouls conceded.
5. Douglas Costa
21 of 25
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian Premier League)ย โ Chelsea (English Premier League), perย Darren Lewis at the Daily Mirror.
Brazilian attacking midfielderย Douglas Costa, 24, is frustrated byย Shakhtar Donetsk holding out for what he feels is an impracticalย โฌ36/ยฃ26.8 million transfer fee.
Douglasย has been trying to force a move away.
He spoke about how it is a "dream for any player" to work under Chelsea managerย Jose Mourinho, perย Globo Esporte (h/t ESPN FC).
According toย Paul Hayward at The Telegraph, politics could be a major barrier toย Douglas joining Chelsea, given the allegiance ofย Shakhtar Donetsk ownerย Rinat Akhmetov:
"Akhmetov has now apparently thrown his lot in with the Ukrainian government in Kiev after Russian separatists believed he was in their camp.
[Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich, a close Vladimir Putin ally, might therefore need some kind of Kremlin approvalย before sending another ยฃ20-30 million to Akhmetov's way.
"
Douglas has been woeful in the UEFA Champions League.ย
If Chelsea want to take such a leap of faith in a mercurial talent, don't targetย Douglas, go forย Monaco's 21-year-old Belgian attacking midfielderย Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco.
4. Ruben Neves
22 of 25
Porto (Primeira Liga)ย โย Liverpool (English Premier League), perย Ben Jefferson at the Daily Express.ย
Portuguese central midfielderย Ruben Neves, 17, is aย โฌ38.9/ยฃ29 million transfer target forย Liverpool.
Say what?
Neves has world-class potential, but the key word is "potential."
He does not warrant such a substantial transfer fee at this present moment because heย is not a finished product or natural game-winner likeย Benfica deep-lying forward Anderson Talisca, 20.
3. Andre Schurrle
23 of 25
Chelsea (English Premier League)ย โย Wolfsburg (Germanย Bundesliga), perย Dominic Fifield at The Guardian.
German attacking midfielderย Andre Schurrle, 24, wants out ofย Chelsea, having only started five Premier League games this season.ย
He is treated as a rotation player by Chelsea managerย Jose Mourinho.
This is whyย Schurrle has told Chelsea heย wants to joinย Wolfsburg,ย perย Sky Sports.
You surmise Schurrle potentially being a star atย Wolfsburg,ย Germany'sย second-bestย club, appeals more to him than playing a small part at Chelsea.
Wolfsburg have publicly denied their interest inย Schurrleย but areย privatelyย considering spendingย โฌ30/ยฃ22.4 million to sign him,ย per Sport Informations Dienst (h/t Stephan Uersfeld at ESPN FC).
2. Juan Cuadrado
24 of 25
Fiorentina (Italian Serie A)ย โย Chelsea (English Premier League), per Sky Sports.
Fiorentina and Colombia utility playerย Juan Cuadrado, 26, will only be allowed to join Chelsea if hisย โฌ35/ยฃ26.1 million buyout clause is met, according toย Fiorentina managerย Vincenzo Montella.
"If any club comes in and pays [Cuadrado'sย buyout clause], heย will leave even in the final days of the transfer window,"ย Montella said, perย La Repubblica (h/tย Ben Gladwell at ESPN FC). "That is, of course, if he wants to leave."
Cuadrado's defending has drastically deterioratedโhe concedes more fouls per game [1.4] than tackles made [1.2] this seasonโwhich should be a concern for Chelsea.ย
Also,ย Cuadrado could have a future as a deep-lying forward.
He is incredibly fast, creates his own opportunities and can hit double digits in goals if he is more clinical.
Fiorentinaย giveย Cuadradoย freedom, whereas he is likely to play a restricted role at Chelsea.
1. Mats Hummels
25 of 25
Borussia Dortmund (Germanย Bundesliga)ย โย Manchester United (English Premier League), per Bild (h/tย Jamie Sanderson at Metro).
Manchester United are so desperate for a centre-back, they will spendย โฌ50/ยฃ37.3 million to sign 26-year-oldย FIFA World Cup-winnerย Mats Hummels.
You would thinkย Borussia Dortmund being second last in theย Bundesliga would decreaseย Hummels' transfer stock in the eyes of the media.
Ifย Hummels did leaveย Borussia Dortmund when they need him the most, it would be a bush-league move, hence his reaction to journalists trying to bait him into saying something negative, perย Stephan Uersfeld at ESPN FC:
"Last week [Hummels]ย told Die Welt that he does not need UEFA Champions League football to be happy, and when Bild raised the question again on Monday, [he] reacted by asking: 'Are you looking for a headline?'
"
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.ย
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