Out: Gareth Bale (Tottenham)
Gareth Bale has had the season of his life this year, scoring 26 goals from a new, more central role in the Tottenham team. Previously a winger and even a left-back in his early days, he is now one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, playing in a manner similar to Lionel Messi of Barcelona in a free role behind the main strikers.
Inevitably, his fine form has seen him become a target for the world’s biggest clubs. Real Madrid have been chasing him for some time, and may be willing to make him the most expensive player of all time with a bid of £85million. Manchester United and PSG have also shown a strong interest and could match Real’s enormous bid.
Wherever he ends up, Spurs look unlikely to keep hold of him, and he is a player who deserves to be playing at the highest level with other world class players. Despite his best efforts this season, he could not guide Andre Villas-Boas’ side into the Champions League, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he took the temptation to move on to bigger things.
In: Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid)
If a deal is struck with Real Madrid, Spurs could do well to enquire about Argentine winger Angel Di Maria. The 25-year-old is a very similar style player to Bale, capable of playing a number of attacking midfield roles to good effect with his dribbling, passing, crossing and shooting.
Di Maria has not had his best season for the Spanish giants this year as the team in general struggled to keep up with rivals Barcelona in La Liga, and it is thought that he could be one of many players that they would be happy to let leave this summer as they embark on a reshuffle of their squad under new management.
Manchester City have also shown an interest in Di Maria, though that may have cooled now that they have brought in a similar player in Jesus Navas in from Sevilla. Spurs could possibly request Di Maria as part of a swap deal with Bale, or come back to him after considering other options. Hatem Ben Arfa of Newcastle has also been linked with a move to White Hart Lane, but his injury record makes him a more risky option, and there seem few better or more realistic options at the moment than the former Benfica star.