Here are ten deals that we feel are virtually certain to happen before the transfer window slams shut on September 2nd.
Bernard- Atletico Mineiro to FC Porto
Bernard is regarded as one of the best young midfielders in Brazilian football, high praise indeed considering the amount of quality midfielders Brazil are producing at the moment. He was part of Brazil’s triumphant squad at the Confederations Cup and it is thought that his performances have hasten his departure from Brazil to Europe, where many of the country’s top footballers now play. Several top clubs have been linked with Bernard, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is thought to be especially keen to sign the Brazilian, feeling that the player could reach his full potential at the Emirates. However, it now appears that Bernard will snub a move to Arsenal and instead join Portuguese giants FC Porto.
Bernard’s agent has made it clear that he would like to see the midfielder in Portugal next season, fearing that if he were to move to a big club he may not get enough first team football. Many Brazilians are known to have used Porto as a stepping stone to get used to European football and Bernard recently stated that he had spoken to former Porto player Hulk, who believes that Bernard would fit in well in Portugal.
Marouane Fellaini- Everton to Manchester United
Manchester United manager David Moyes is desperate to re-enforce the Red Devils midfield this summer, seeing the centre of the clubs midfield as an area of real weakness following the retirement of Paul Scholes at the end of last season. The Scot’s main target was thought to be Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas but the Spaniard appears likely to stay with the La Liga Champions, meaning Moyes will have to look for an alternative. His next target is believed to be Maourne Fellaini, one of his former players at Everton.
The Belgian is thought to be one of the most talented midfielders in the Premier League due to his power and versatility. He also scores plenty of goals from midfield and is a towering presence when attacking or defending. The midfielder has a buy-out clause in his contract at Everton, thought to be £22 million. United will need to activate that to sign Fellaini and if their move for Fabregas does fall through as expected, then Moyes will certainly sign Fellaini. The Belgian would almost certainly accept the call of his former manager and would love the opportunity of playing in the Champions League.
Julio Cesar- QPR to Arsenal
Cesar was one of the only bright spots to come out of QPR’s miserable 2012/2013 season. The Brazilian made several excellent stops for the Hoops and also played a huge part in Brazil winning the Confederations Cup. Cesar is desperate to remain Brazil’s number one goalkeeper for next summers World Cup and that position is at risk if he stays at QPR as the Hoops will play in the Championship next season. QPR are also thought to be keen on selling Cesar as they are desperate to trim their wage bill for the up and coming season.
The Brazilian seems almost certain to leave this summer and a move to Arsenal is thought to be very close. The Gunners had reportedly been tracking Cesar for most of last season, with Arsene Wenger wanting to sign an experienced goalkeeper for the new season. Cesar is thought to be interested in a move to Arsenal as he has settled in London. The only barrier to the two sides agreeing a move is Cesar’s wages, with Arsenal demanding that the Brazilian lower his wage demands to a more manageable level.
Loic Remy- QPR- Newcastle United
Remy has only spent a few months at Loftus Road and it already seems likely that he will leave the Hoops this summer following their relegation from the Premier League. Since his move to England, Remy has looked impressive and their are reportedly no shortage of suitors for the striker this summer. Newcastle are desperate to sign a striker this summer, with the club having failed to replace Demba Ba when the striker left in January. Remy is thought to be their main target now that they have pulled out of negotiations with Lyon for Bafetimbi Gomis with Alan Pardew feeling that Remy can fit in well at St James’s Park due to the number of French players currently at the club. Remy to appears interested in moving to Newcastle, feeling that playing for the Magpies will help him get into France’s squad for next summers World Cup. Although QPR would like to hang onto Remy, the striker wants to move and the club will sell the Frenchman if they receive a bid of around £6.8 million.
David Luiz- Chelsea to Barcelona or Bayern Munich
Luiz has had a patchy spell at Chelsea, scoring some brilliant goals and making some excellent passes that have set up goal scoring opportunities but he also made several mistakes that have cost Chelsea defensively. It is thought that Jose Mourinho is keen to cash in on the Brazilian, with the Portuguese coach preferring to have more reliable defenders at the heart of his defence. Several clubs are reportedly interested in signing Luiz but the main two are Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Barcelona need to sign a quality centre back to strengthen their defence, which looked disjointed on many occasions last season. Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is known to be an admired of Luiz and feels that he can help the Brazilian fulfil his potential. While Luiz isn’t looking to move away from Stamford Bridge, he will consider a move to a club outside of the Premier League and might like the opportunity of playing for Barcelona or Bayern. Paris St Germain were also thought to be interested in the Brazilian but the French club have recently signed Marquinhos from Roma, meaning they are no longer in the market for a central defender.
Wayne Rooney- Manchester United to Chelsea
Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United his dominated the back pages of most newspapers all summer long. He looks set to leave Old Trafford following a falling out with the clubs hierarchy. He missed out on several big games last season, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson preferring to keep the striker on the bench. He has also fallen out with the clubs new manager, David Moyes, following comments the Scot made about Rooney being second choice striker to Robin Van Persie for the up and coming season.
All of this has made Rooney question where his future should lie and reports suggest he is now actively looking to move away from Old Trafford. Chelsea appear to be his most likely destination, with Jose Mourinho claiming that the England international is his only remaining transfer target for this summer. Mourinho is desperate to sign a quality striker this summer and has moved to sign Rooney after missing out on Edinson Cavani. The Blues have already submitted a bid to the Red Devils, believed to be around £20 million. That bid was rejected but it is only a matter of time before Chelsea return to Old Trafford with an improved bid, which United may well accept if it is big enough.
Ezequiel Garay- Benfica to Manchester United
Garay’s move to Manchester United has been in the works for many months now, with reports suggesting that the Red Devils had agreed a fee with Benfica in February. Speculation continues to mount that Garay will become David Moyes first major signing as United boss and an announcement is thought to be close. One of the main tasks facing Moyes is the current state of United’s defence. The clubs first choice centre back pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are getting older and both players have struggled with injuries over the past two seasons. Moyes knows that he needs to replace them sooner rather than later and Garay looks to be a player that will come straight into United’s defence.
The Argentine has long been regarded as one of the most talented centre backs playing in Europe and will now have the opportunity of trying to succeed two of the Premier League’s best ever centre backs. In the long term, Garay may form a centre partnership with Phil Jones, who many pundits have picked as a player who will achieve greatness.
Luis Suarez- Liverpool to Arsenal
It appears that the 2012/2013 season will be Suarez last at Liverpool. It was another controversial campaign for the Uruguayan striker, who is currently serving a ten match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League game. Since then, Suarez has continued to state his desire to leave Anfield and play for a club that is in the Champions League.
His preferred destination is thought to be Real Madrid but the Spanish giants are currently concentrating on other transfer business, so Suarez has had to set his sights a little lower. His most likely destination is Arsenal, with the Gunners looking to sign a world class player this summer to help push them towards the summit of the Premier League table. Suarez is very interested in moving to the Emirates and reports suggest he is considering handing in a transfer request at Liverpool to try and force through a move to the Gunners. However, Liverpool want to hold onto Suarez and they have already said that it will take a bid of around £50 million for them to sell the Uruguayan. It is unknown whether Arsene Wenger will be willing to pay that much for one player but after missing out on Gonzalo Higuain, Suarez might be his only opportunity to sign a world class player this summer.
Gareth Bale- Tottenham to Real Madrid
Bale was fantastic for Spurs last season, scoring 21 Premier League goals and winning three major individual accolades. However, despite his efforts, Spurs still failed to qualify for the Champions League, a competition Bale is desperate to play in. Real Madrid have made it clear that they want to sign Bale, with president Florentino Perez keen to add another “Galatico” to Los Blancos first team.
Bale is thought to be keen on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu and reports suggest that he has made it clear to Spurs hierarchy that he wants to leave White Hart Lane. However, Spurs are determined to keep hold of their star player for at least one more season, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy feeling that the club are more likely to qualify for the Champions League with Bale at White Hart Lane. Madrid are still set to make a formal bid for the player, thought to be a world record £85 million. It would be very hard for Spurs to turn down a bid of that size, even for a player as important as Bale. Madrid have the financial power to meet any valuation Spurs make and it is expected that Bale will arrive in the Spanish capital sometime this summer.
Roberto Soldado- Valencia to Tottenham
Soldado is one of La Liga’s most prolific strikers, having scored countless goals for Valencia during his three years at the club. His excellent goal scoring record hasn’t gone unnoticed and the striker looks set to leave Spain for the Premier League this summer. Tottenham have made Soldado their main target this summer, having recently missed out on several other high profile strikers. They wanted to sign David Villa but the striker choose to move to Atletico Madrid while another target, Christan Benteke, signed a new contract with Aston Villa. Signing a quality striker is a priority for Spurs this summer and their aren’t many better than Soldado. Spurs have sent their technical director, Franco Baldini, to Spain to negotiate a deal with Valencia and it seems that an agreement maybe close, despite the clubs president stating that Soldado will only be sold if Spurs activate the strikers buy-out clause. However, Soldado wants to move to Spurs and it seems that it is only a matter of time before he arrives at White Hart Lane.