Despite the completion of another football season, clubs are hard at work trying to sign new players for the next campaign. Here is a list of 10 high profile players who are close to moving clubs.
Edinson Cavani- Napoli to Chelsea
The striker has had a very successful year for Napoli, helping the club secure a runners-up spot in Serie A. While at Napoli, Cavani has scored a prolific 104 goals in 138 appearances, making him one the deadliest marksman in Europe at the moment. That has attracted the interest of a whole host of clubs, from Manchester City to Spanish giants Real Madrid. It appears though that Europa League winners Chelsea are at the front of the cue to sign the Uruguay international. New Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has made signing a new striker a priority this summer and it appears that Cavani his one of his main targets. Cavani is very interested in a move to Stamford Bridge but it appears that the only sticking point is the transfer fee that Chelsea will pay to Napoli.
The Italian club, now managed by former Chelsea interim boss Rafa Benitez, will only accept a bid of £53 million, which would activate Cavani’s minimum fee release clause. With Chelsea set to spend big this summer the club could afford to pay that but want to get rid of some players to fund the move. Fernando Torres was offered to Napoli as part of the deal to bring Cavani to Stamford Bridge, but Torres wages have put Napoli off and the club want a cash only deal for Cavani.
Hulk- Zenit St Petersburg to Chelsea
Hulk is another top striker that is rumoured to be Chelsea bound this summer. The Brazilian international confirmed that their had been contact with him and Chelsea at a press conference before the Confederations Cup. The striker said “‘If I said there wasn’t anything in it, I would be lying” according to the Daily Mail. This all but confirms that their have been talks been Hulk and Chelsea. Hulk is very interested in a move to the Premier League, having spent one season in Russia with Zenith St Petersburg.
The striker is said to fed up with life in Russia and wants to move to a top European club and Chelsea would fit the bill. Jose Mourinho wants to strengthen his striking options for next season and wants a strong, physical presence upfront, in the mould of Didier Drogba. Hulk would certainly do that for Chelsea and can also be flexible having played on the wing before for former club Porto. Chelsea appear ready to offer £35 million for Hulk but Zenith want close to £50 million for a player they only signed last summer.
Ezequiel Garay- Benfica to Manchester United
The Argentine defender has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for a couple of years, with speculation that he could have moved to the club last summer. Scouts for United have been assessing Garay for many months and it now appears that the club are ready to sign the central defender. A bid of £17 million was reportedly accepted months ago and now all United need to do is agree personal terms. New United boss David Moyes hopes to have Garay at United by the time pre-season training starts. United have made Garay their number one central defensive target this summer along with Everton left back Leighton Baines.
The club have decided to move for Garay due to age and fitness concerns over first choice central defensive pair Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Both defenders have struggled with injury in recent seasons and signing Garay will give United depth at the back as well as replacing Vidic or Ferdinand in the long term.
Andy Carroll- Liverpool to West Ham/Newcastle United
Andy Carroll holds the record for the highest transfer fee paid by a club for an Englishman and it is a tag that hasn’t sat to well with him since he made the move to Anfield. The striker has struggled to live up to the tag and was even loaned out to West Ham last summer because Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers didn’t want to keep the striker at Anfield. Carroll had a good spell at Upton Park, combining with Kevin Nolan to form a deadly partnership up front. Now it is the end of the season and Carroll can go back to Liverpool.
It appears though that the club want to sell the striker and West Ham have already had a bid of £15 million accepted to make the strikers stay at Upton Park permanent. The club are trying to agree personal terms with Carroll, evening offering him £100,000 per week. However, Carroll is reluctant to make his stay at Upton Park permanent and it is unknown whether he will sign a contract. The England international wants to move back Newcastle but the club aren’t prepared to pay more than £10 million for him and Liverpool are unlikely to go as low as £10 million for a striker they paid £35 million for.
Stevan Jovetic- Fiorentina to Juventus/Arsenal
Jovetic is one of Europe’s most highly rated striker, being versatile enough to play on either wing, behind the striker or as a striker. The Montenegrin has played a huge part in Fiorentina’s success this season, scoring 13 goals for the club as they finished 4th in Serie A. However, Jovetic has recently stated his desire to leave Florence and play at one of Europe’s top clubs so that he can challenge himself in the biggest competitions. He has a long list of potential suitors and could be available for around £25 million.
Arsenal were thought to be front runners in the race to sign Jovetic but have failed to agree a fee with Fiorentina meaning they could miss out on one of their top transfer targets. It now appears that Juventus could be Jovetic’s next destination and the player has said himself that he would like to play in Turin. Chelsea are also rumoured to be in the hunt for Jovetic and all are apparently in discussions with the player.
Ashley Williams- Swansea City to Arsenal
Williams has fast become one of the most wanted defenders in the Premier League having had a very successful couple of years for Swansea. The Welshman captained the Swans to League Cup success in February when the club beat Bradford City at Wembley. Swansea also finished in the top half of the Premier League, down in no small part to the defensive displays of Williams at centre back. Williams success at Swansea has created a lot of interest in his services and it now appears that the defender will be leaving the club this summer.
Arsenal are front runners for the Welshman’s signature and it is believed that the Emirates is Williams preferred destination. Personal Terms are apparently agreed with Williams and the only sticking point is the transfer fee paid to Swansea. The swans are demanding that Arsenal pay £10 million and don’t want to let their captain go on the cheap. If the deal falls through Liverpool are waiting in the wings, with Williams former manager Brendan Rodgers interested in bringing the defender to Anfield. Williams played under Rodgers at Swansea before the former Reading manager moved to Anfield.
Marouane Fellaini- Everton to Arsenal/Manchester United/Chelsea
Fellaini has been one of Everton’s top performers since he made the £15 million move from Standard Liege. His performances have created a huge amount of interest from other clubs. The midfielder is versatile and strong and looks set to move away from Goodison Park this summer. Manchester United and Chelsea have been monitoring the Belgian for sometime and it looked like being a two horse race for Fellaini’s signature. However, Arsenal have since come into the frame and have reportedly activated Fellaini’s release clause in his contract buy bidding £22 million.
This means that Everton have to accept the bid and can now start talking to Fellaini about a move to Emirates. This move could force United and Chelsea’s hand and it looks set to be a three way race for the Belgians signature. If Manchester United were to bid then Fellaini may wish to move to Old Trafford as former manager David Moyes recently took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at United. The Red Devils midfield is in need of investment and Moyes may see Fellaini as the answer to his problems. Chelsea have long been interested in Fellaini and could come into the equation should they bid for the Belgian.
Iago Aspas- Celta Vigo to Liverpool
The Celta Vigo striker looks to be on his way to Anfield this summer in a £7.25 million move. The striker reportedly had a lot of interest from other clubs but decided that Liverpool was the one place that he wanted to be. The transfer is not yet finalised but it is understood the Aspas has agreed personal terms and will finalise the deal next week. Aspas will help solve the striker problem that Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers currently has.
Daniel Sturridge was injured while on international duty with England and could miss the start of next season, while Luis Suarez could be leaving Anfield this summer because he is annoyed by the way he has been treated by the English press. Aspas has been the star of the Celta Vigo team and was the sides top scorer this season, scoring 12 goals for the club. Brendan Rodgers will hope that the Spaniard can score even more goals during his time at Anfield.
Isco- Malaga to Manchester City
Isco is one of Spanish football’s brightest stars and is tipped to have a long and fruitful at both club and international level. The Spaniard is a playmaker and can roam around the centre of his teams midfield. He has been linked with bigger clubs for most of last season and it now looks like he will be making a move away from Malaga. Manchester City is his reported destination and the player appears to want to move to the Etihad, with former Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini set to be named Manchester City’s new boss next week. Isco is one of the players that Pellegrini has insisted Manchester City sign and it now appears that he will get his wish.
It was thought that City officials didn’t want to sign Isco as he was another central midfielder, a position that many players currently at City can play in. However, Pellegrini may have got his way and with Real Madrid saying they will not bid for Isco, the path is set for the Spaniard to become a Manchester City player. City are understood to be in discussions with Malaga about the Spaniard and a deal could be completed in the next few weeks.
Luis Suarez- Liverpool to Real Madrid
Luis Suarez’s controversial career at Liverpool could come to an end this summer, with the striker heavily linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Suarez has said that he wants to move away from Liverpool because he feels he is being persecuted by the English media following a series of controversial incidents involving the Uruguay international. Suarez was banned for 8 matches for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League match last season. Since then, the striker has strongly hinted that he wants to leave England. Real Madrid looks set to be his destination with the Spanish club set to offer Liverpool £40 million.
Madrid chiefs have been in contact with Suarez about the move and the Uruguayan looks set to leave Liverpool sooner rather than later. If the Madrid move falls through other European clubs have shown interest in Suarez with Juventus and Bayern Munich said to be monitoring the situation. A move to Real’s city rivals Athletico Madrid is also said to be on the cards. Athletico are looking for a new striker after highly rated Columbian Falcao left the club to join big spending AS Monaco. With the money for the Falcao sale, Athletico have the money to rival Real Madrid for Suarez signature.