Ranking the Week's 20 Hottest Transfer Rumours: John Stones Pushes Chelsea Move
The end of the week is upon us again and that can only mean one thing: It's time to take a look at the week's transfer rumours and pick out the ones with the biggest names and fees with our final transfer rankings before the closure of the window.
Our transfers are ranked according to set criteria, including the valuation mentioned in the deal and the stature of the intended destination club, as well as the reputation of the player himself, of course.
The transfer window closes on Tuesday, so any teams wanting to add to their squad before then need to get a move on—they've also got games to prepare for this weekend!
20. Jonny Evans to WBA
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West Bromwich Albion have already made additions to their defensive ranks this summer, but Manchester United's Jonny Evans is another potential target.
Warren Haughton at TalkSPORT reports that the Northern Irish centre-back is not required by Louis van Gaal, who has partnered Daley Blind with Chris Smalling in defence this season, and Evans' potential arrival could mean an exit for Joleon Lescott, who has in turn been linked with Aston Villa.
Evans is Tony Pulis' top target, states the report.
19. Benik Afobe to Norwich City
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Norwich City have struggled to sign a striker this summer to aid their hopes of staying in the Premier League, with Wolves forward Benik Afobe the latest to elude them.
John Cross in the Mirror reports the Canaries having made two bids already for the former Arsenal front man, including an £8 million offer, but Wolves want to hang on to him—and as such have stated nothing less than £14 million will be enough to tempt them to sell.
Afobe scored 15 in 24 last year and has three in five this term so far.
18. Victor Valdes to Besiktas
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Manchester United have at least two goalkeepers who appear to be out of favour, three if you include first-choice David de Gea, but it is Victor Valdes who looks closest to an exit at present.
The former Barcelona man is wanted by Besiktas, reports Garry Jacob in the Times, who have offered Valdes a two-year deal with the option of a third.
Valdes is behind de Gea, Sam Johnstone and Sergio Romero in line to play for United.
17. Jonathan De Guzman to Sunderland
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Sunderland are in need of further reinforcements after a poor start to the Premier League campaign, with Napoli's Jonathan de Guzman a key target.
Scott Wilson at the Northern Echo reports a loan deal for the midfielder could be on the cards, but there is competition for his signature from Bournemouth and Marseille.
Another target for recruitment according to the same report is Ola Toivonen, the Swedish forward currently with Rennes.
16. Emmanuel Adebayor to West Ham
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Emmanuel Adebayor continues to be the striker nobody appears to want on a permanent basis; West Ham United are the latest club linked with a loan move for the Togolese forward and Darren Lewis in the Mirror believes Tottenham could agree to pay part of his wages in a bid to get him off the books.
Adebayor is well out of favour at Spurs, even with Roberto Soldado gone, and the same report indicates he rejected a move to Aston Villa earlier on in the window.
A former Arsenal and Manchester City striker, Adebayor is said to be on £100,000 a week at White Hart Lane.
15. Jon Obi Mikel to Besiktas
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With Besiktas having featured last week in our rankings for chasing a defensive midfielder, they're back again this week looking to strengthen the same position.
A move for Lucas Leiva seemingly fell through—so Darren Lewis at the Mirror now reports that they have turned their attentions to Chelsea's John Obi Mikel instead.
Mikel is behind the likes of Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Ramires in the centre of midfield, while Kurt Zouma has also operated as the holding player instead of Mikel at times.
14. Federico Fazio to Everton
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Spurs defender Federico Fazio is out of favour at his current club and looks to be favouring a move away, with Everton one of the clubs interested in him.
Simon James at the Daily Mail reports that the Argentina defender is the subject of a £5 million offer from the Merseyside club, as they look to fill the void that any potential sale of John Stones might create.
West Bromwich Albion were previously in the race for Fazio who is clearly available for a move elsewhere, but the same report states talks broke down between player and the Baggies last week.
13. Demarai Gray to Leicester City
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Outside of the Premier League there are not too many players who draw admiration to the extent that Birmingham City's Demarai Gray has.
Laurie Whitwell at the Daily Mail states that Leicester City are the club who have finally activated a release clause in the winger's contract, meaning they can speak to him over a potential move for less than £5 million.
The Foxes have started the season in fine form, are unbeaten and have based a lot of their success on their fast-paced wide attackers, which Gray could potentially add to.
12. Charlie Austin to West Brom
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Spurs have been chasing Saido Berahino all summer long, but the Express' Tony Banks reports that the deal is still in jeopardy after West Brom rejected a second bid from the north London club.
However, West Brom are now looking at QPR striker Charlie Austin to be the man to replace Berahino if the move does progress further, with a £15 million bid needed to take him from Loftus Road.
Austin was relegated with QPR last term but his goals in the top flight make him an interesting option for many clubs this summer.
11. Lazar Markovic to Fenerbahce
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Lazar Markovic could be the next name out of the door at Liverpool, with the Daily Mail's Dominic King reporting he is set to join Turkish club Fenerbahce on a loan deal.
The Serbian has not featured yet for the Reds this season and was also not a prominent performer during pre-season, having struggled to show consistently good form last term after joining the club.
The loan is expected to be for the full season but without an option to buy, with the same report indicating Liverpool see a long-term future for the player.
10. Erik Lamela to Inter Milan
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Argentina attacker Erik Lamela has been totally unable to show his best form since moving to Tottenham and has yet to play a full 90 minutes this season.
Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC) are linking him with a move back to Serie A as a result, with Inter Milan the intended destination, potentially on loan.
Inter have already brought in Stevan Jovetic from the Premier League to boost their attack this summer, while Xherdan Shaqiri headed in the opposite direction.
9. Jakub Blaszczykowski to Liverpool
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Liverpool's transfer-market activity has been quiet on the incoming front since competitive action got underway, with the Reds doing much of their work early on.
Now, though, the Liverpool Echo's Joe Rimmer reports an interest in Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski, who may struggle for regular game time under new boss Thomas Tuchel given the incredible start to the campaign that BVB have made.
Liverpool have so far utilised Adam Lallana, Jordon Ibe and Roberto Firmino in the wide roles that Kuba, as the Polish attacker is known, traditionally occupies.
8. Edinson Cavani to Arsenal
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Arsenal's search for a new striker is an ongoing one according to summer-long transfer-rumour columns and the latest name in the frame is Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani.
The Mirror's John Cross reports that the Gunners have been interested in the Uruguayan in the past and now may look to make a late move in the window for him having been knocked back from any interest in Karim Benzema.
Arsenal have scored only twice and won just one game out of their three league fixtures so far.
7. Son Heung-Min to Tottenham Hotspur
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Tottenham's search for a striker goes on and the latest name who looks close to a move is Bayer Leverkusen's Son Heung-min.
BBC Sport report talks being at an advanced stage already, for a fee of £22 million.
Son, who has played centrally and on either flank for B04, scored 11 in 30 league games for his team last season and is in double figures for goals at international level for South Korea, too. Spurs signed Clinton N'Jie last week but he has yet to make his debut.
Update: Son has now officially joined Spurs.
6. John Stones to Chelsea
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John Stones has featured in our rankings for a number of weeks amid a potential move from Everton to Chelsea and now he has raised the stakes himself, submitting a transfer request to his current club.
BBC Sport's Simon Stone reports two failed bids from Chelsea already have put Stones into a position where he now wants to angle for the move himself, despite his club repeatedly stating he is not for sale.
It seems, if he is to move, the London club will have to pay at least £30 million for the privilege. At Chelsea he will fight against Gary Cahill, John Terry and Kurt Zouma for a place in the team.
Update: BBC Sport report Everton have rejected Stones' transfer request.
5. Andriy Yarmolenko to Barcelona
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Barcelona's early season struggles with injury have led them to dip back into the transfer market according to Diario Sport (), with Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko one of their targets.
Even though he would not be able to play until January, just like Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, Barca are said to have made a €20 million bid to secure his services once their transfer ban ends.
Barcelona sold Pedro to Chelsea last week and have Neymar absent with illness at present, leaving them short of options in attack.
4. Neymar to Manchester United
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The surprising and improbable transfer rumour of the weekend sees Barcelona forward Neymar linked with a move away to Manchester United.
The Guardian are one of several outlets reporting the Premier League club's interest, even going as far as to say the Brazilian would be open to the move, though it seems unlikely in the extreme that he could move before the transfer deadline.
Neymar has missed the opening games of this term with illness, while Barcelona already sold Pedro to deplete own their attacking line while new signings cannot play until January. The report indicates United will invoke a "long-term strategy" to sign Neymar, with a move next summer a possibility.
3. Kevin De Bruyne to Bayern Munich
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Manchester City have been linked with a transfer move for Kevin de Bruyne for most of the transfer window but the Telegraph's Mark Ogden reports now that they may lose out to Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga champions are said to be willing to meet the £50 million valuation of the Wolfsburg player—as are City, except Bayern are willing to wait until next summer to take the Belgian international to the Allianz Arena, which suits his current club more.
De Bruyne will not submit a transfer request, says the report, and die Wolfe have no need to sell for immediate financial gain.
2. Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City
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Alternatively, the Telegraph's Jason Burt reports that De Bruyne is still heading to City, after tabling an offer to the player worth £200,000 per week.
That bid is expected to be for up to £57 million for the Wolfsburg player.
1. Paul Pogba to Chelsea
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Chelsea splashed out on Barcelona forward Pedro last week but the spending from the Premier League champions might not be over, with rumours now surfacing over a move for French midfielder Paul Pogba.
The powerful youngster won Serie A and the Coppa Italia with Juventus last season, as well as reaching the Champions League final, and has taken over the No. 10 shirt at the Turin club this season.
The Evening Standard's Simon Johnson reports that Chelsea are pushing the deal for Pogba and say a £70 million bid will be on the table until the end of the transfer window.
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