Ranking the Week's 25 Hottest Transfer Rumours
Instead of scouring the Internet 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 the Bundesliga, Eredivisie, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Serie A, 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.
- Upside.
- Projected transfer value.
- Projected transfer resell value.
- Social media buzz.
25. Adrian Leijer (Melbourne Victory)
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Melbourne Victory centre-back Adrian Leijer, 28, will soon begin a Chinese adventure by signing for Chongqing Lifan, per David Davutovic and Matt Windley at the Herald Sun.
Leijer has been a loyal servant to Melbourne Victory and persistently put his body on the line to block or alter shots.
He is approaching a point in his career where he needs to think about post-football life, and going over to China and maximising his career earnings is common sense.
However, it does seem odd that Chongqing Lifan are signing their second foreign centre-back, having secured the signature of Issam El Adoua, a Moroccan who played four La Liga games for Levante this season.
Generally speaking, it is advised that Chinese Super League clubs target foreign attackers.
24. Mark Bresciano (Al-Gharafa)
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Australian Al-Gharafa central midfielder Mark Bresciano, 35, has not definitively ruled out returning to play in the A-League.
"I'm going to take some time with my family in Europe—we haven't had a good holiday together—and I'll be able to make my decision once I'm relaxed," Bresciano said, per Sebastian Hassett at The Sydney Morning Herald. "To come back and play in Australia, I would love to, honestly, but it's not something I'm really 'hanging' to do. I wouldn't come back to just get on the pitch and play and finish my career in the A-League."
After 12 seasons in Italy and four in the Middle East (one in the United Arab Emirates, three in Qatar), Bresciano has had a distinguished career.
Coming home to the A-League would be a great way to help grow the game, which is a minority sport, in Australia.
23. Stuart Holden (Free Agent)
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United States central midfielder Stuart Holden, 29, will not give up on his professional career despite venturing into football punditry, per his Facebook account:
"Anytime I'm on TV, I get the inevitable 'Get back on the field, why are you on TV so much' shout from friends and foes. All I can say is that the process of healing takes time and a man needs to eat.
...
I'm sure most are aware by now that I have not been under contract with Bolton [Wanderers] since July 2014 ... While my plan is still to return to action with the club (COYW!), I've taken this opportunity to further my footsteps in the TV world and prepare for life after football (whenever that may be).
"
When Holden tweeted to Derrick Rose: "I feel for you, bro," there was a sense of melancholy—injury after injury after injury.
For both athletes, the mind probably wants to continue soldiering on, but the body has essentially said: "No mas!"
Unlike Rose, Holden won't be earning $18,862,876, $20,093,064 and $21,323,252 in the next three seasons.
22. Tyler Boyd (Wellington Phoenix)
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Barring a transfer collapse, Wellington Phoenix forward Tyler Boyd, 20, will move to Vitoria de Guimaraes, per Sam Worthington at The Dominion Post.
Jumping from the A-League to the Primeira Liga is risky, not just because of the quality gap, but Portugal will be a culture shock to Boyd.
Excluding a brilliant cameo performance in a 3-1 win over Adelaide United, Boyd has not received enough opportunities.
Why?
The form of Nathan Burns and Roy Krishna has limited Boyd's minutes in the A-League this season. When Boyd has dropped to the Wellington Phoenix reserve team, he has been their talisman.
He recently scored four goals in a 6-2 win over Southern United, three coming via the penalty spot. In six New Zealand Football Championship games, he has scored 10 goals.
Boyd is ambitious and possesses pace, but he needs to be more productive against better opposition.
When Boyd played at the 2013 U-20 FIFA World Cup, the technical study group did not highlight him as a key player but selected his teammate Cameron Howieson, per FIFA.
21. Tomi Juric (Western Sydney Wanderers)
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Western Sydney Wanderers centre-forward Tomi Juric, 23, probably still wonders if he made the right decision to not play in China.
Speaking anonymously to David Lewis at SBS, one agent revealed the shock from football insiders when Juric rebuffed the opportunity to become one of the highest-paid Australian athletes by signing for Shanghai Shenhua.
"I'm sure Tomi's decision not to take the big dollars and go to China was made with the best of intentions.
But what I'm hearing is that most people think it's possibly one of the dumbest career decisions ever made by an Australian player.
Well, the reality is that the Chinese window is open but it seems there's no interest out there for Tomi [anymore].
I have no idea why people in and around the Australian team involve themselves in career decisions for players when they can't back up the advice they give.
"
Juric scoring two goals from nine A-League games with an eight percent conversion rate this season, per WSWanderersFC.com.au, is woeful.
Potential and performing well in the Asian Champions League are reasons why Juric's transfer stock was so high. He is a target man who possesses the technical ability to drop deep, receive the ball and impact plays. He just needs to be more productive.
Juric turned down an estimated $18 million over three years [1] from Shanghai Shenhua, per Dominic Bossi at The Sydney Morning Herald.
[1] Converts to around €12.4/£9.1 million, roughly €4.1/£3 million per year.
20. Augusto Batalla (River Plate)
6 of 24Real Madrid and River Plate are negotiating over the playing rights of Argentinian goalkeeper Augusto Batalla, 18. Veronica Brunati at Marca reports that:
- River Plate will loan Batalla to Real Madrid.
- If Real Madrid are happy with Batalla's progress, they can exercise the option to sign him for €6.5/£4.8 million.
Tim Vickery at ESPN FC recently mentioned Batalla as a talent to watch out for: "[He] may not be the most flexible of keepers, but he has come up big in important moments."
However, when Batalla participated at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, he was not one of the five goalkeepers selected as a key player by the technical study group, per FIFA:
- Anton Mitryushkin (Russia).
- Dele Alampasu (Nigeria); Golden Glove recipient.
- Raul Gudino (Mexico).
- Simone Scuffet (Italy).
- Thiago Cardozo (Uruguay).
Batalla needs to be a substantial upgrade over Real Madrid Castilla's goalkeeping prospects, otherwise it is pointless signing him.
19. Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain)
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Al Ain attacking midfielder Omar Abdulrahman, 23, has rejected the chance to move to Europe by extending his contract at the club.
"The contract is for three years at the moment, but I hope it will be for a lifetime," Abdulrahman said, per Matt Monaghan at Sport 360. "Our relationship is beyond cash."
Abdulrahman is the closest the United Arab Emirates have to a world-class footballer. He is a genius on the field and a pass-first playmaker who makes players around him better.
Dubai radio sports commentator Kefah Al Kaabi was not surprised by Abdulrahman's decision.
"Abdulrahman is a superstar in the country and he won't enjoy the same status elsewhere," Al Kaabi said, per Amith Passela at The National. "Who will leave such luxury and leave to another land and be a nobody? There was no doubt...he was going to remain here."
Eleven years and two months ago, at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, name the player who was considered better than the likes of:
- Andres Iniesta.
- Dani Alves.
- Gabi.
- Javier Mascherano.
United Arab Emirates' Ismail Matar, per FIFA: "[Matar has] great technique, vision, good dribbler [and is] dangerous in front of goal. ... For the first time in the history of FIFA events, an Asian footballer [Matar], claimed the Golden Ball for the tournament's best player."
Abdulrahman's career route is likely to be reminiscent of his compatriot Matar, who was once considered superior to Iniesta.
18. Andreas Pereira (Manchester United)
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Manchester United's Belgian-Brazilian [1] attacking midfielder Andreas Pereira, 19, is considering the idea of emulating Paul Pogba.
"I have spoken with Pogba many times [because] he is a good friend, and he told me that I would be well served in moving to [Juventus], both personally and professionally," Pereira said, per Tuttosport (h/t Sky Sports). "My agent is evaluating the offers that have arrived, including that of Juventus."
Manchester United failed to convince Pogba to stay and could be forced to watch Pereira run down his contract. Why not give him a chance and integrate him into the first team? By doing so, it could sway his feelings toward Manchester United from negative to positive.
[1] Represented Belgium at youth level but has since pledged his allegiance to Brazil.
17. Godfred Donsah (Cagliari)
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Ghanaian Cagliari central midfielder Godfred Donsah, 18, is being monitored by Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, per Tom Collomosse at the London Evening Standard.
Donsah is currently the youngest goalscorer in Europe's top-five leagues (Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League and Serie A), per a tweet from OptaPaolo.
If you are evaluating Donsah by projection, then yes, he would be a must-sign prospect; if you are watching him and comparing him to other Serie A professionals, he is just another player.
Premier League teams would be better off taking a punt on Jose Mauri, who will potentially be a free agent if Parma are removed from the Serie A, whereas Donsah should stay at Cagliari and work on solidifying his starting spot before making the jump to a major European club.
Mauri, an 18-year-old central midfielder, has started 17 Serie A games this season and has bossed moments in games.
16. Bryan Oviedo (Everton)
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Real Sociedad manager David Moyes has Everton left-back Bryan Oviedo, 25, on a list of potential summer signings, per the Daily Express.
Signing Oviedo would be an indictment on Real Sociedad left-backs Alberto de la Bella and Yuri, meaning one of the two would have to leave.
Oviedo was a makeshift central midfielder in Everton's 1-0 defeat to Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa League earlier this season, so he can fill another position.
Oviedo has only played six Premier League games this term, averaging 53 minutes per game.
15. Sami Khedira (Real Madrid)
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Real Madrid central midfielder Sami Khedira, 27, is set to join Schalke in the summer transfer window, per Bild (h/t Marca).
In an ideal world, Khedira is a world-class midfielder who enhances any title-contending team. However, injuries have limited his minutes and are a major red flag because what use is he if he cannot play out an entire season?
Khedira has played 296 minutes over 11 games in La Liga this season.
14. Marco van Ginkel (Chelsea)
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AC Milan have no intentions of extending the loan of Dutch central midfielder Marco van Ginkel, 22, into a permanent deal, per Sport Mediaset (h/t talkSPORT).
Given the financial situation of AC Milan, it is understandable why they would be unwilling to make a long-term investment in Van Ginkel, who is current on loan at the club from Chelsea.
Post-injuries, Van Ginkel has yet to rediscover the form he showed at Vitesse, which led to a move to Chelsea.
If he wants to be a conductor in midfield, he needs to be more involved in play, because 25.8 passes per game is not good enough.
13. Aymen Abdennour (Monaco)
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Monaco centre-back Aymen Abdennour, 25, is open to signing for Tottenham Hotspur, per John Cross at the Daily Mirror.
Abdennour is a passing outlet from the back and is composed in possession, completing 86.3 percent of his 40.1 passes per game.
However, he can be clumsy and is still attempting to find consistency at Monaco.
12. Tommy Oar (Utrecht)
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Utrecht's Australian left-forward Tommy Oar, 23, will exercise his Bosman right to a free transfer during the summer window.
"I've notified Utrecht that I won't be re-signing. ... I was completely honest with them," Oar said, per Ben Somerford at FourFourTwo. "The proposition of playing in a different league or living in a different country excites me."
When queried about being pencilled in as a future Ajax player, Oar denied receiving a formal offer.
"I'm not sure about the whole Ajax situation," Oar said, per Somerford. "The press in Holland is always saying a lot about that, but I still haven't heard anything about it."
Oar has registered seven assists in 16 Eredivisie games this season.
He is talented enough to be on the books of a team in Europe's elite leagues.
11. Jese Rodriguez (Real Madrid)
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Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez, 21, is likely to be loaned out next season, per El Confidencial (h/t Jose Luis Guerrero at AS).
Jese has stagnated at Real Madrid, not just because of knee surgery, but Real Madrid have not utilised him correctly.
He needs to be given 15-25 minute cameos every game, in which he can use his incisive speed to make something happen.
How can he make an impact if he is given a symbolic one-minute cameo in a 2-0 win over Elche?
10. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund)
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Armenian Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 26, could move to Juventus due to the influence of his agent Mino Raiola, per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.
Often shifted out wide, Mkhitaryan's ability has not been properly utilised by Borussia Dortmund. Mkhitaryan is to Borussia Dortmund what Shinji Kagawa was to Manchester United.
Mkhitaryan has yet to score or create a goal in 23 combined Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League games this season.
9. Axel Witsel (FC Zenit)
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FC Zenit are prepared to sell Belgian defensive midfielder Axel Witsel, 26, for €30/£22 million plus, per Duncan Castles at ONE World Sports.
Witsel carries a big reputation, but his tackling is hit-and-miss; he tends to concede cheap free-kicks rather than be a prolific ball-winner.
He conceded more fouls per game (2.4) than made tackles (1.2) in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
However, when he is on the ball, he is a fluid passer and looks to control the tempo of play.
8. Jackson Martinez (Porto) and 7. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
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Arsenal centre-forward Olivier Giroud, 28, has revealed that he plays with a chip on his shoulder.
The Gunners' rumoured transfer interest in Porto centre-forward Jackson Martinez, 28, motivates Giroud.
"[Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger] has said good things about [Martinez who] has said he would like to come here," Giroud said, per L'Equipe (h/t ESPN). "I learned that before the Middlesbrough game. It gave me added motivation. I was very happy to score those two goals."
Maybe Wenger needs to talk up Martinez every week because Giroud's shooting is so inconsistent. He was awful in a 3-1 defeat to Monaco, during which all six of his shots failed to hit the target.
Martinez, who has scored 17 goals in 22 Primeira Liga games and five goals in six UEFA Champions League games this season, would be an excellent signing—if he was five years younger.
6. Duvan Zapata (Napoli)
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Napoli centre-forward Duvan Zapata, 23, is willing to bide his time despite being pigeon-holed as an impact sub, according to his agent. Fernando Schena.
"Duvan is very happy with what he's doing at Napoli...he still has three years on his contract, so it's down to the club to make a decision," Schena said, per TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t Football Italia). "Targets? That's simple, to score more and give Benitez a headache in selecting the starting striker."
Sure, Zapata is mercurial and at times runs blind, but he provides more of a threat than Gonzalo Higuain.
Zapata has scored five goals in Serie A this season, but he has only started 30.8 percent of the games he has been involved in.
If given an extended starting run, Zapata has the potential to match Higuain's productivity.
5. Danny Ings (Burnley)
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Burnley manager Sean Dyche believes English forward Danny Ings, 22, should shun a proposed move to Real Sociedad.
"The middle of La Liga is no use for a young player [like Ings]," Dyche said, per Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday. "I think he's better than that. I think he's top end of the Premier League [quality]."
Ings has scored nine goals and created four goals with limited assistance in 23 Premier League games for Burnley this season. He is key to Burnley avoiding relegation.
Provided that David Moyes continues managing Real Sociedad, it would be a smoother transition for Ings than playing for a coach who doesn't speak English.
4. Loris Karius (Mainz)
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Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius, 21, is viewed by Napoli as a potential long-term No. 1, per David Amoyal at GianlucaDiMarzio.com.
If Napoli were serious about signing Karius, they would have completed this deal in the recent January transfer window before he extended his contract at Mainz until 2018.
Karius is one of the best young goalkeepers in the world. He is currently fifth in the Bundesliga for saves (75).
3. Paulo Dybala (Palermo)
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Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini is unwavering in his belief that he will sell Argentinian deep-lying forward Paulo Dybala, 21, for a significant amount of money in the summer transfer window.
"Big clubs have already called me [about Dybala], both from England and also Paris Saint-Germain in France. ... We're going to make a great profit on him," Zamparini said, per Tuttosport (h/t Ben Gladwell at ESPN FC). "[Post-Dybala], next year's going to be good for Palermo to be self-sufficient without the need for selling players."
Dybala can dribble past players, he drops into midfield to create chances and he is a match-winner. He has scored 12 goals and registered seven assists in 23 Serie A games this season.
Granted, Franco Vazquez is a better all-around player—and deserves more credit for helping Dybala rise from prospect to star—but Dybala is five years younger.
Major European clubs will be banking on Dybala's upside, but they also need to keep in mind that prior to this season, he was on course to be a bust.
2. David de Gea (Manchester United)
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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is not on speaking terms with goalkeeper David de Gea, 24, which could play a part in him leaving the club, per Manu Sainz at AS.
You presume the relationship must be at least cordial, considering De Gea has started 26 Premier League games this season.
If there is tension between the two, why hasn't De Gea been replaced by Victor Valdes?
The media cannot represent Van Gaal as this my-way-or-the-highway type of manager, speculate about him playing a part in De Gea's supposed discontent, yet glance over the goalkeeper being a guaranteed starter week in, week out.
The only problem the two will have is if De Gea starts showing signs he is unwilling to commit his future to Manchester United.
1. Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg)
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Wolfsburg attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, 23, is content with the club right now, but he has very high standards.
"I feel very much at home with Wolfsburg in this very moment...[but] Wolfsburg is not yet like Bayern Munich," De Bruyne said, per David Wright at the Daily Express. "My biggest ambition is to come out for a big European club. One I can win trophies with. As [many] trophies as possible."
Translation: If Wolfsburg want to keep me, they need to continue building a world-class squad around me that can topple Bayern Munich.
De Bruyne has scored eight goals and registered 12 assists in 22 Bundesliga games this season.
He is currently ranked third on Kicker's Bundesliga player rankings.
- Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich).
- Ralf Fahrmann (Schalke).
- Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg).
- Karim Bellarabi (Bayer Leverkusen).
- Roman Burki (Freiburg).
- Martin Stranzl (Borussia Monchengladbach).
- Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich).
- Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach).
- Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich).
- Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich).
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
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