World Transfer Rumours: 9 High-Profile Names Most Likely to Switch Teams
One of the most fascinating aspects of being a soccer fan involves the transfer market.
Now that there are two, small, distinct windows to buy and sell players, activity gets condensed into a short period of time, which makes for excitement amongst fans and players. We have seen little in the way of major signings, aside from Phil Jones' controversial move to Manchester United. The action is sure to reach a crescendo in the coming weeks, however, as the season is nearly a month and a half away.
A lot of the big teams have holes to fill in their rosters, which they usually do by poaching the rosters of smaller teams that don't have the financial structure to compete with the big boys. A lot of the players on this list fit that bill, as most belong to "fourth-to-seventh place teams in their domestic league because of one or two good players but can't afford to keep them."
Here are nine players that could make the switch to the big name clubs in the very near future.
Javier Pastore
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The 21-year-old Argentinian starlet has been linked to just about every big team in Europe and will probably leave the small sicilian club this summer.
A staple in the middle of the Serie A table, Palermo lack the ambition to keep a player as talented as Pastore, so he is likely to move on to one of the giants.
Eccentric Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini is playing hardball with teams that are interested and was recently quoted as saying that Pastore won't leave for less than €50 million.
Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter appear to be the favorites to sign the attacking midfielder, but it's anyone's guess where he will end up.
Cesc Fabregas
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This might be year four of the Cesc-to-Barcelona drama, but it is as interesting as ever, as it seems a realistic possibility that Fabregas finally leaves the Emirates.
Fabregas has been a loyal servant to the cause for the last eight years, appearing in over 200 games since 2003. Arsenal have not won a trophy in six years, and this drought is likely going to be the reason why they lose their best player.
Although injuries have slowed Fabregas last year, he is one year removed from 15 goals and 15 assists in 25 Premier League games. It's hard to believe he is only 24 and should have 10 more years of world-class football ahead of him.
Barcelona appear to be the only team that has a real shot at signing their former prospect, so it will be interesting to see if they pony up the money necessary to pry him from the desperate hands of Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood
Neymar
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Oh look, the next best player in the world is going to be Brazlian. Try to be surprised.
Perhaps the brightest star in the game today, Neymar remains somewhat of a mystery to most fans. He plays his club football for Santos in Brazil and only has five caps for the national team. By this time next year, most will know how special he really is.
Dubbed Cristiano Ronaldo 2.0 by, well, me, Neymar plays with the same confidence (AKA arrogance) and technical ability as the Portuguese star.
Chelsea and Real Madrid are the favorites to add the 19-year-old to their ranks, but Neymar has recently said that there is nothing to the Madrid rumours and that he is happy in South America. "I do not care about playing in order to impress other teams who are here to watch me," he said following a training session on Saturday.
"I have a match for Santos and I want to help them. There is nothing about Real Madrid. I am a Santos player and I am playing in the Copa Libertadores final for Santos. That is what I care about."
Carlos Tevez
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He looks beyond impressed at that FA Cup.
Tevez defines the word talisman. He seemingly carries his entire team whenever he is on the ball and looks to dribble past the entire opposition every single time. The Manchester City star was in rich form for the majority of his time at the City of Manchester Stadium, and it appeared to be a match made in heaven.
Then, for some reason, he put in a transfer request in December 2010. His sudden jadedness towards The Blues' came as a major surprise to most and threw his future completely into the air.
Most of his public comments center around him wanting to return home to Argentina, but that is likely not to happen. At age 27, Tevez will not give up the fame and fortune that comes with playing in a European league and will likely wait until the latter stages in his career to consider such a move.
Carlos Tevez is one of the best strikers in the world when he is on his game and would be an major asset to a team that is looking for a goal scorer. However, I doubt he will make a big-money switch to another team. There isn't a large market for Tevez at the moment, and with the money he is probably on at Manchester City, he would have little incentive to leave.
Luca Modric
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Failing to qualify for the Champions League may cost Tottenham their best player.
Luca Modric joined from Dinamo Zagreb for £16.5 million in 2008, so it's fair to say Spurs will seek a large transfer sum for their midfielder. However, the best players want to play at the best clubs, which may spell the end of Modric's tenure in London.
I feel Modric is slightly overrated. He drifts in and out of important games too much for my liking, and I can't picture him being a playmaker on a top flight team. That said, he has a lot to offer to a variety of clubs and may be an impact player in the future.
Chelsea are at the top of the list to sign the Croatian, who recently had a £22 million bid rejected for the player.
Giuseppe Rossi
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Giuseppe Rossi was always seen as an excellent talent that has yet to fulfill his potential.
With 18 goals in 36 league games for Villarreal in 2010-11, it finally seems like the Italian international has gotten the most out of his ability. The former Manchester United prodigy helped El Submarino Amarillo reach the qualifying round of the Champions League for just the third time in the clubs history.
He has surpisingly been linked with Barcelona for a number of weeks now, but it looks like the Spanish champions are likely to spend their money elsewhere. Rossi should be leading the front line for the Valencia-based club, unless a big named club comes calling.
Ezequiel Lavezzi
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Ezequiel Lavezzi had a magical season for Napoli, keeping them in the title race for the majority of the season before settling for a third placed finish and a Champions League place.
He is highly skillful and can single-handedly take over a game, but he falls under the Modric category of not doing it on a frequent enough basis to be classified as a world class player. Also, I'm not sure if I would want to buy a player that has a tattoo of a handgun on the side of his body, but Lavezzi is an elite talent that could help a Champions League team make the next step.
Tottenham and Juventus are the favorites to land the playmaker, whose creativity up front is exactly what each of these clubs needs to bounce back from disappointing seasons. Inter and A.C. Milan are also allegedly interested, should the Argentinean prefer to stay in the slightly less physical Serie A.
Alexis Sanchez
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Another slide, another South American star.
Chile's Alexis Sanchez came out of nowhere this season for Udinese to help them qualify for the Champions League for the second time in their club's history. The 22-year-old has all the talent in the world and could find himself playing for one of the best teams in the world.
The 5'6" speedster helped his nation qualify for second round of the 2010 World Cup and has 36 caps and 12 goals. His future is unlikely to be decided before he represents Chile at the Copa America starting July 1.
Manchester City, Inter and Barcelona are the trio leading the way for his signature, and it looks like the latter will secure a deal for the winger in the near future. It's hard to imagine Barcelona adding to their surplus of talent (having the best team of all time should be enough), but it looks like that is indeed the case.
Sergio Aguero
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Another slide, another South American star. Seriously.
Sergio Aguero was dubbed as the next big thing when he made his big money move from Independiente to Atletico in 2006, and has not failed to deliver.
He has scored 74 goals in 175 league appearances for Atletico over five seasons with the team. Too bad the Madrid club are as mismanaged as WCW was, or he would have featured in more high-profile matches in the Champions League.
Juventus, Real Madrid and Chelsea are the leaders in the clubhouse to sign "Kun," but these rumours have lasted for a few years, and nothing in terms of a concrete deal has occurred.
It should be noted that he is married to Diego Maradonna's daughter and that they have a son together. Talk about football genetics for that youngster.
