Ten clubs with best player set to leave.
10) Porto – Jackson Martinez
Although Porto have already had a key player in Fernando raided by Manchester City, with promising young defender Eliaquim Mangala possibly set to follow, the biggest blow of this summer could be the departure of star striker Jackson Martinez. The Colombian international, currently on World Cup duty with his national side, has been Porto’s top scorer for the last two seasons, enjoying a fine record in front of goal in the Portuguese top flight with 60 strikes to his name in just 91 appearances in total.
A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with Martinez in recent months, with Arsenal believed to be the leading contenders to sign him, though Chelsea have also shown an interest on occasion. They will face competition from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, however, while Valencia are also keen to make him a big-name signing under their wealthy new owner Peter Lim. Where the 27-year-old will end up is not yet clear, but it looks highly likely that Porto will need a new major signing upfront to cope with his departure.
9) Real Sociedad – Antoine Griezmann
After a superb individual season with Real Sociedad, French winger Antoine Griezmann looks set to be on his way out this summer as a host of Europe’s biggest clubs queue up to sign him. The talented 23-year-old drew comparisons with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo with his performances this season, which saw him score an impressive 20 goals from the flanks. Although Sociedad will no doubt be delighted to have secured the stay of another key player in Carlos Vela, they face a real right to hold on to Griezmann, who is arguably the player with more truly world class potential. Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain appear to be the leading candidates to snap him up this summer, and they would certainly be landing themselves a superb talent if they do so.
8) Fiorentina – Juan Cuadrado
Undoubtedly Fiorentina’s best player and up there with the very best performers in Serie A this season. Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado is another impressive member of this surprise package in the World Cup, with the 26-year-old notching up one goal and four assists in the tournament so far, helping his side into the quarter-finals. A skillful and pacey winger, Cuadrado finished the 2013/14 season with a superb record of 15 goals and eight assists for his club, and is now one of the most sought-after talents in Europe.
Arsenal, Barcelona and Juventus have been the main clubs linked with him, though other big names such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool could also enter the running for his signature in this transfer window, with his World Cup performances surely set to see his value and reputation grow even further.
7) Borussia Dortmund – Marco Reus
A real loss for Germany and for the World Cup as a whole through injury, Marco Reus has been a terrific performer for Borussia Dortmund in the last couple of seasons, establishing himself as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga, if not Europe. The 25-year-old registered 23 goals and 15 assists for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, arguably becoming a more important player for the team than Polish goal machine Robert Lewandowski, who already agreed a summer move to Bayern Munich back in January. The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona have all been linked with Reus in recent times and would likely be the main favourites to sign him this summer, particularly with rumours that he has a fairly generous release clause in the region of £33m. His current injury problems may delay a deal, but Dortmund will surely find it harder and harder to hold on to the classy playmaker as time goes on, making him the latest high-profile departure from the Bundesliga giants, who have also lost Mario Goetze and Shinji Kagawa in recent years.
6) Napoli – Gonzalo Higuain
In what could be a real blow for Napoli, Gonzalo Higuain is being linked with an exit from the club just one season after joining them from Real Madrid. Signed to replace another big name in Edinson Cavani, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Higuain has been excellent since making the move to Serie A, and his fine performances have seen him come onto the radar of a number of top European clubs again after the likes of Arsenal and Juventus also tried to sign him last year. Barcelona are now thought to be the main suitors for the prolific Argentine, and the Catalan giants may be ready to offer a tempting big-money fee to the Italians to bring him to the Nou Camp, which would leave Rafael Benitez’s side in dire need of another top class signing upfront again this summer.
5) AC Milan – Mario Balotelli
One of the only real gems in this current AC Milan side, Mario Balotelli is looking more than likely to leave the San Siro this summer after becoming unhappy with life in Serie A. The 23-year-old, formerly of Manchester City, is thought to be keen on a return to the Premier League with Arsenal, as he hopes to escape Italy after becoming something of a scapegoat among fans and media alike for the country’s premature exit at this summer’s World Cup.
Although a controversial character, there is no doubting Balotelli’s superb natural ability, and it seems likely that big clubs will move to sign him if he is made available for a reasonable price. Milan could accept offers of around £29m for the Italian international, as they feel his presence in their squad may be too disruptive as they look to rebuild for the future. Still, they will certainly be losing a world class performer if he does leave, and interested parties such as Chelsea, Monaco and Napoli will be gaining a potential star if they can get the best out of him.
4) Juventus – Paul Pogba
One of the best young players in the world at the moment, Juventus face a real fight on their hands this summer in a bid to keep hold of in-demand midfielder Paul Pogba. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise since his free transfer from Manchester United back in 2012, where he had failed to make any impact on their first-team. Now valued at around £60m, Pogba has become invaluable to Antonio Conte’s side, helping them to two title wins in his time at the club, and scoring some memorable solo goals with unique precision and power that has won him admirers from all over Europe.
Chelsea have most recently been linked as leading contenders to snap him up, while the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain could also be ready to spend the kind of money needed to sign this top talent. Manchester United are also keen on bringing the Frenchman back to Old Trafford, and whatever money Juventus bring in for him will not really make up for the fact that they will be losing such an important and supremely talented player. His excellent midfield partner Arturo Vidal is also being linked with a move away, but Pogba’s class and impact truly look like making him irreplaceable.
3) AS Monaco – James Rodriguez
Despite joining AS Monaco for around £38.5m just last summer, it is James Rodriguez‘s superb performances a year later in the 2014 World Cup that have seen him become recognised as a truly world class talent. The 22-year-old has been the stand-out player of the tournament in Brazil so far, helping Colombia to the quarter-finals with some fine individual displays that currently see him top the competition’s scoring charts ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Unsurprisingly, Monaco may now be readying themselves for a flurry of big-money offers for their South American starlet, with his performances in Ligue 1 this term also showing he can do the business on a regular basis at the top level. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli have been mentioned as his main admirers so far, but it would not be surprising to see other elite clubs join the running before long, as Rodriguez looks like having the potential to become one of the best players in the world.
2) Manchester City – Yaya Toure
After his finest season in a Manchester City shirt, Ivory Coast powerhouse Yaya Toure rocked the Premier League champions by revealing his desire to leave the club after what he felt as bad treatment and a lack of respect. The 31-year-old, who scored 24 goals from midfield this term, initially claimed that City forgot his birthday in May as they were too busy focusing on title celebrations, before later saying he wasn’t allowed compassionate leave while his late brother was critically ill. Whatever his real reasons, Toure seems determined to leave the Etihad Stadium, in what would be a major blow for the Sky Blues after his superb service to the club in his four years there.
Big-spending Ligue 1 pair PSG and Monaco have been mentioned as clubs who could look to snap him up, and it seems unlikely that many others could afford the player, who is among the most well paid in the world.
1) Liverpool – Luis Suarez
After a long summer of speculation last year, Luis Suarez looks to be dominating the headlines again this year as he seems intent on leaving Liverpool for a big move to Spain. Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been strongly linked with the controversial Uruguayan, who will not even be eligible to play again until November following his latest biting incident on Giorgio Chiellini in a recent World Cup match against Italy.
The 27-year-old was absolutely phenomenal for the Reds in 2013/14, scoring 31 goals in 33 games to come oh so close to delivering a first title in 24 years to the Merseyside giants, and is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world on his day, despite the baggage he brings. Liverpool will be keen to hold on to him, even if they cannot field him again until almost half way through next season, but will certainly have something to think about if clubs come in with big-money offers which could reach around £80m. While that kind of money – as well as possible players arriving in swap deals – would be tempting for such a troublesome character, it seems near impossible that Brendan Rodgers could find another player capable of providing that spark that Suarez does.
SEE ALSO: The Fastest Players on Fifa 14