We used to get the impression that a transfer deal would simply come down to contact between the two clubs and an agent to get things done, but that may not be the case anymore.
A lot of big players now seem to have an entourage, and that probably goes a long way to explaining why deals are so complicated and they take forever to happen.
READ MORE: Opinion: Newcastle may be Pochettino’s only option as links with big clubs fade away
The latest example of this comes from Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo, as Juventus have got in touch with his entourage about a deal:
#Juventus: nuovi contatti con l’entourage di #Todibo. Un profilo che può essere inserito nei discorsi aperti con il #Barça // New contacts between Juve & Todibo’s entourage ????@GoalItalia
— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) May 14, 2020
The French defender arrived at the Nou Camp with a big reputation, but he’s barely played any senior football, so it’s hard to say how good he is at this point.
He’s on loan at Schalke and it looked like he would be a first team regular before the shutdown happened, so it will be worth keeping an eye on their games when the Bundesliga starts again this weekend.
The Juventus links do make sense as they need someone to eventually take over from Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, but there’s no official signs that a deal is close for now.