High-profile players who are strongly linked with exits this summer.
The summer transfer window is well under way with many reports of big name Premier League players set to move to different clubs. Many clubs will be looking to strengthen their side as well as getting ride of some players who had disappointing seasons. Here are ten big name players who we think could leave for a new club this summer.
Leighton Baines- Everton
The Everton full-back has been a regular fixture of the Toffees defence since he moved to Goodison Park from Wigan Athletic. He was one of David Moyes most trusted lieutenants on the pitch and had an excellent season for the club last term. He has also been forcing his way into the England set-up and could finally be about to take over Ashley Cole’s position as first choice left back for England. With David Moyes replacing Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager, many have speculated that Baines could follow his former manager to Old Trafford. One of the most pressing issues that Moyes must address as United boss is the need to find a long term replacement for Patrice Evra. The Frenchman is approaching the end of his career and has been suffering with more and more injuries of late. Many see Baines as a perfect replacement for Evra and think that Moyes would be able to persuade the left back to swap Goodison Park for Old Trafford.
Moyes’s interest in Baines has been stepped up recently with the news that United have bid £12 million for the left back. This bid was rejected by Everton and the Toffees have said that Baines will not be sold. However, United are unlikely to give up that easily and are set to up their bid to around £15 million. That may not be enough for Everton, with reports suggesting that the Toffees will demand around £20 million for Baines. Moyes clearly wants Baines at Old Trafford but whether he is willing to pay £20 million for him is another matter.
Darren Bent- Aston Villa
Bent came to Aston Villa as one of the most lethal strikers in the Premier League and was becoming a key part of the England set-up. However, his time at Villa Park hasn’t been a happy one, especially last season when Bent found himself starting on the bench more often than not. Manager Paul Lambert preferred youth to experience and choose Christan Benteke as his main striker, leaving Bent out in the cold. Following his awful season at Villa Park, Bent will almost certainly leave the club this summer and he has no shortage of possible destinations. Newcastle United has long been interested in Bent, with Alan Pardew wanting to sign players with plenty of Premier League experience.
However, others at the club aren’t sure about Bent and some believe that they shouldn’t pay £6 million for a player who will have no sell on value. Newcastle have been dithering on signing Bent despite reports saying that the striker would be quite happy to move to Tyneside. Other options for Bent include a move to newly promoted sides Crystal Palace and Hull City. Both sides are desperate to sign a quality Premier League goal scorer to help them avoid relegation this season. They have both identified Bent as a possible option due his goal scoring exploits in the past but it is unknown whether they will be able to pay Villa’s £6 million asking price. It could all come down to how much Villa want to sell Bent and whether they will be willing to lower their asking price for a player who was warming the bench for most of last season.
Wayne Rooney- Manchester United
The Manchester United strikers future has been one of the big debates that has raged in the media this summer. Speculation began about Rooney’s future during the second half of last season when the striker was left out of the Red Devils biggest game of the season, the home leg of Manchester United’s Champions League tie against Real Madrid. Speculation increased when Sir Alex Ferguson told the media that Rooney had handed in a transfer request. Rooney has denied this and it seems to have made him even more unsettled at the club. Although reports suggest that Rooney favours staying at Old Trafford, he is not adverse to moving if he feels he isn’t going to play a big role at United next season. The striker is set to have talks with new manager David Moyes about his future and it is hoped that both parties can resolve the issue.
If they can’t, Rooney will probably be off and he has no shortage of suitors. Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly interested in the England striker, as are Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. French sides AS Monaco and Paris St Germain are also monitoring the situation but it is believed that Rooney would prefer to stay in England. However, United are unlikely to sell him to a Premier League rival, meaning Rooney maybe forced to move abroad if he doesn’t stay at Old Trafford.
Pepe Reina- Liverpool
The Liverpool goalkeeper has been one of the success stories at Anfield since he joined the club in 2005. He has been the Reds number one goalkeeper since then, pulling off some magnificent saves and being reliable between the sticks. However, last season was a disappointing one for Reina, who made a series of uncharacteristic mistakes and was not the sound goalkeeper that he has appeared in recent years. This has led to speculation that the Spaniard could be leaving the club this summer and Barcelona are reported to be interested in the goalkeeper. The Spanish Champions see Reina as a replacement for current number one Victor Valdes, who revealed last month that he will be leaving the Nou Camp when his contract expires next year.
Barcelona may not wait that long to replace Valdes and could try to sign Reina and then sell Valdes this summer, meaning they will at least get a transfer fee for Valdes. Speculation increased about Reina’s future when Liverpool signed Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. This led to reports that Liverpool were planning on replacing Reina with Mignolet and would be willing to sell the Spaniard if an offer came in for him. If Reina does stay at Liverpool this summer he may find himself on the bench following his disappointing campaign last season. He may have to leave in order to get first team football and Barcelona may well offer it to him.
Nani- Manchester United
The Portuguese winger has been a frustrating figure during his time at Old Trafford, showing his amazing skills and goal scoring talent one game, then being disappointing and wasteful the next. The winger has been at Old Trafford since 2007 and in that time he has failed to nail down a regular starting spot in the Manchester United first team. There were times when he had a good run in the United first team but that was often ended by either injury or poor form. Nani only has one year left on his contract at United and now might be the right time to cash in on the Portuguese international.
New manager David Moyes is thought to be ready to do just that and reports suggest that Nani will be available to interested clubs for just £8 million. AS Monaco are thought to be front-runners for the wingers signature and are building an impressive squad for an assault on the French League title. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has long been an admirer of Nani and could look to enter into negiotations with United if Nani becomes available. The winger is set to decide his future soon but a stay at Old Trafford is unlikely with Moyes looking to give other players first team opportunities over Nani.
Fernando Torres- Chelsea
Torres is still the most expensive player in English football, having signed for Chelsea in 2011 for £50 million. The striker has so far failed to live up to that price-tag, being considered as a one of the worst buys in Premier League history. Torres continues to fail to find the net on a regular basis for Chelsea, something that he was bought to do and it looks like his time at Chelsea might be up this summer with the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho is set to give Torres his marching orders and is looking at signing his own players this summer. Mourinho is desperate to land either Edinson Cavani or Robert Lewandowski, meaning Torres is unlikely to be Chelsea’s first choice striker next season.
The Spaniard has even been offered to Napoli in part exchange for Cavani. The Italian club rejected the offer but it seems only a matter of time before Torres departs Chelsea. One possible surprise destination for Torres could be Barcelona. Reports suggest the Spanish Champions want to sign a number 9 and have identified Torres as a potential target. Barcelona are reportedly ready to offer Chelsea £17 million for Torres, an amount Chelsea are likely to accept for the striker. Torres still hopes he can persuade Mourinho to give him one more chance at Stamford Bridge but the likelihood of that happening appears to be slim at the moment.
Yohan Cabaye- Newcastle
Cabaye had an excellent 2011/2012 season for Newcastle and was regarded as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders last summer. He didn’t have quite such a good campaign last season but is still regarded as a top Premier League midfielder and speculation has been rising about the possibility of him moving away from St James’s Park this summer. Newcastle were almost relegated last season and Cabaye has made it known that he wants to be playing at a club that is challenging at the top end of league tables. The midfielder recently stated that he would be interested in a move to Manchester United. David Moyes is on the look out for a top central midfielder and could look into signing Cabaye. Reports have also suggested that big spending French club AS Monaco want to sign Cabaye and there was speculation that the club had already agreed personal terms with the French midfielder without Newcastle knowing about it.
Another French club, Paris St Germain, are also reportedly interest in the Frenchman. Newcastle want to keep a hold of Cabaye and see him as an important member of the first team. However, if a club were to offer Newcastle £20 million for Cabaye, it may prove difficult to keep him, especially as Cabaye himself seems quite keen to leave the club this summer.
Gareth Bale- Tottenham Hotspur
Bale has had a fantastic season for Spurs, scoring 23 goals for the club, many of them wonderful strikes. However, despite Bale’s superb performances, Spurs failed to finish fourth, meaning they missed out on a place in next seasons Champions League. This has led to speculation that Bale may leave White Hart Lane this summer in search of a team that is playing regularly in Europe’s top competition. Reports have suggested that Real Madrid are very interested in bringing Bale to the Bernabeu and are ready to bid a world record £85 million in order to make it happen. Madrid president Florentino Perez has spoken of his admiration for Bale as has the clubs new assistant manager Zinedine Zidane.
Manchester United are also said to be monitoring the situation involving Bale, as is French club Paris St Germain. Spurs however, are very reluctant to let their star player leave this summer and are doing everything they can to try and persuade him to stay. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is even preparing to offer the winger a new and improved contract to stay at White Hart Lane. However, it will be up to Bale where he plays next season, whether he decides to help Spurs get into the Champions League again or decides to move elsewhere.
Marouane Fellaini- Everton
Fellaini has long been considered one of the Premier League’s top midfielders due to his power, strength and versatility. The Belgian can play in a wide variety of positions, from a deep lying midfield position to playing in attacking position just behind the striker. There has long been speculation that Fellaini could leave Everton and that has heighten this summer since David Moyes left to join Manchester United. Reports suggest that Moyes is interested in bringing Fellaini with him to Old Trafford. One of the areas of weakness in United’s squad is the central midfield position. That is one of the areas that Moyes will look to improve this summer and he may start by trying to bring in Fellaini. He maybe thwarted by Arsenal though, as the Gunners have reportedly submitted a bid of £22 million, which has activated the Belgian’s buy-out clause, meaning Arsenal can now discuss personal terms with the player.
Arsene Wenger has been looking for a strong, physical central midfielder since Patrick Viera retired. He may now have found Viera’s replacement in the form of Fellaini. Chelsea have also been long term admirers of Fellaini and could decide to make a move for the midfielder if their attempts to sign Daniele De Rossi fail. It seems as though Everton will have a real challenge on their hands to keep Fellaini at Goodison Park. It may just be impossible.
Luis Suarez- Liverpool
The future of Luis Suarez has dominated the back pages of most newspapers since the end of the season. Suarez is currently serving an 8 match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic and received plenty of criticism in the press. He came out and said he maybe forced to leave England because of his treatment at the hands of the English press but many see that as just an excuse so that he can move away from Anfield. While on international duty, Suarez spent most of his non playing time flirting with Real Madrid, saying that “he would give his heart and soul” if he were to play for the Spanish giants. Recent reports have also suggested that Suarez has agreed personal terms with Madrid, despite the Spanish club having not registered a bid to Liverpool. This has angered the Liverpool hierarchy, who have shown Suarez nothing but loyalty during his controversial time at the club. Suarez has not submitted a transfer request to Liverpool and the club still expects him to honour his contract.
If Suarez does leave, Liverpool have said that they will demand £40 million for the Uruguay international. This has reportedly put Real Madrid off bidding for Suarez and the Reds will need to lower their asking price for a deal to go through. However, Liverpool have no need to sell Suarez as he still has three years left on his contract at Anfield so will continue to play hard ball with the striker until a club submits a bid that they are willing to accept. Real’s city rivals Atletico are also thought to be interested in Suarez and do have money to spend having recently sold star striker Falcao to big spending AS Monaco.