EVERY LUNCHTIME WE bring you the Departures Lounge – a round-up of the idle transfer gossip that we overhear in coffee shops, saunas and on Sky Sports.
But who are really the top targets this summer?
25. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Position: Striker
Age: 23
Nationality: French
Potential suitors: Tottenham, Arsenal, Man United.
Valuation: £22m
Benzema has been in and out of the Real Madrid team this season, showing sporadic glimpses of brilliance – such as his hat-trick against Auxerre in the Champions League. Yet despite these occasional signs of promise, the Frenchman has disappointed at Madrid and has been on the bench more often than not. However, his relatively young age and reasonable form will ensure he does not leave on the cheap.
24. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Position: Striker
Age: 33
Nationality: Ivorian
Potential suitors: Tottenham, Galatasary, Real Madrid
Valuation: £10m
Chelsea’s notoriously irritating but effective striker appears set to leave the club this summer. His exit would almost have been unthinkable this time last year, as the Ivory Coast man managed almost a goal a game (29 in 32 to be exact), helping Chelsea to demolish several of their opponents and win the league in the process. That phenomenal record means he is still one of the most in-demand strikers around at 33, even if the goals have somewhat dried up this season.
23. Dimitar Berbatov (Man United)
Position: Striker
Age: 30
Nationality: Bulgarian
Potential suitors: Tottenham, Bayern Munich
Valuation: £15m
Some people might argue that this season has been a relatively fruitful one by Berbatov’s standards. He scored more goals than any of his previous seasons in England, almost doubling his tally from last year and sharing the Golden Boot with Carlos Tevez. However, he didn’t even make the bench for the Champions League final and has had to play second fiddle to Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney for most of the second half of the season, so a summer departure seems inevitable.
22. Juan Mata (Valencia)
Position: Winger
Age: 23
Nationality: Spanish
Potential suitors: Man United, Man City, Liverpool
Valuation: £25m
Mata is mainly deployed as a left winger and counts searing pace and an ability to deliver a pinpoint cross among his attributes. Having failed to break into the Real Madrid first team as a youngster, he moved to Valencia in 2007, where he has flourished, becoming a regular in the side and scoring 33 goals in 129 appearances. He is a World Cup winner, and many predict he is not far off nailing down a regular spot in the Spain side. A big-money move would certainly increase the chances of that happening.
21 Gervinho (Lille)
Position: Striker
Age: 23
Nationality: Ivorian
Potential suitors: Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Man City
Valuation: £10m
Gervihno helped Lille to win the French title this season, but he’s unlikely to stick around at the French club for much longer. He is a regular alongside Didier Drogba in the Ivory Coast side, and he boasts attributes that are not dissimilar to his compatriot. While not the most prolific of goalscorers, Gervihno possesses pace and strength in abundance – qualities that would be seen as ideal for the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.
Position: Striker
Age: 23
Nationality: Spanish
Potential suitors: Liverpool, Tottenham, Real Madrid
Valuation: £30m
Like Gervihno, Llorente is a target man rather than an out-and-out goalscorer and thus, he is being primarily linked with Premiership clubs. Another player on the periphery of the Spanish squad, Llorente has enjoyed a terrific season with Athletico Bilbao, as he scored 18 goals in 38 appearances, helping the club finish 6th and granting them a place in the Europa League. However, this summer is likely to prove he longer wants to be a big fish in a small pond.
19. Zlatan Ibrahimović (Barcelona)
Position: Striker
Age: 29
Nationality: Swedish
Potential suitors: Man City, Milan, Real Madrid.
Valuation: £20m
The Swede may be an infuriating presence in the Dimitar Berbatov mould at times, however he has enjoyed another relatively successful season with Milan in which he both helped them win the Scudetto and garnered comparisons with club legend Marco van Basten. However, his loan spell has now ended and he is back at the club in which he failed to ever really establish himself. A permanent move to Italy seems a distinct possibility, however there is competition for his signature from Real Madrid and Man City too.
18. Giuseppe Rossi (Villareal)
Position: Striker
Age: 24
Nationality: Italian
Potential suitors: Tottenham, Barcelona
Valuation: £20m
Alex Ferguson may yet regret selling the little Italian, who has been immense for Villareal this season. Rossi has now established himself in the Italian national side and was even chosen as captain during their game against Romania. Tottenham have been long-term admirers of Rossi, but any bids from Barcelona are likely to scupper their attempts to sign him.
17. Eden Hazard (Lille)
Position: Winger
Age: 20
Nationality: Belgian
Potential suitors: Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Man United, Milan, Inter, Barcelona
Valuation: £20m
Hazard caught the attention of Europe’s top clubs after a fine season with Lyon in which he was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year, chipping in with seven goals and appearing as a regular starter for the club as they won the league for the first time in 57 years. His tender years means he can only get better and the wealth of experience he has already garnered in the French league – he has been playing regularly for Lille since he was 18 – means his value has skyrocketed.
Position: Winger
Age: 20
Nationality: Welsh
Potential suitors: Barcelona, Inter, Man United, Man City, Milan Real Madrid.
Valuation: £40m
Despite his excellent second half to the season last year, it wasn’t until this season and in particular, his Champions League performances against Inter, that Bale established himself as a winger to be feared and potentially one of the best players in the world. While the ex-Southampton man’s second half of this season was disappointing in comparison to his earlier endeavours, Bale was plagued by injury and is likely to be fully fit and back to his best come the beginning of the next campaign.
15. Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 23
Nationality: French
Potential suitors: Man City, Man United.
Valuation: £28m
Nasri has indicated he is ready to leave Arsenal after another disappointing season for the Gunners and reports that he is unhappy with the terms of his current contract. The Frenchman is arguably second only to Cesc Fabregas in terms of his importance to his team, and was one of the few Arsenal players exempted from blame following their end-of-season collapse. A move to a Premiership rival would be highly controversial, but is not unimaginable.
14.Leandro Damião (Internacional)
Position: Striker
Age: 21
Nationality: Brazilian
Potential suitors: Benfica, Juventus, Tottenham, Barcelona
Valuation: £13m
Despite being only 21, Damião is already a Brazilian international having made his made his debut against Scotland last March, scoring 22 goals in 24 games for his club side. His excellent form helped the team to the final of the 2010 Libertadores against Chivas Guadalajara, which they won 3-2 with Damião scoring the second goal. Barcelona are said to be among his admirers.
13. David Villa (Barcelona)
Position: Striker
Age: 29
Nationality: Brazilian
Potential suitors: Man City and Chelsea
Valuation: £35m
Having helped spearhead Barcelon’s hugely potent attack this season, as well as being a vital component of Spain’s successful European Championship and World Cup-winning campaigns, Villa has done little wrong in recent years. Nonetheless, like Samuel Eto’o before him, he may find himself shoved out the door this summer to make way for a host of new arrivals at Barcelona – the club everyone wants to play for.
12 Fábio Coentrão (Benfica)
Position: Left Back
Age: 23
Nationality: Portugese
Potential suitors: Man City and Chelsea
Valuation: £26m
Interestingly the only left back on this list, Coentrão is very much a full back in the modern sense, with attacking attributes to match his defensive qualities. He made his debut at the age of 16 with hometown club Rio Ave FC, and swiftly ascended the ranks of Portugese football, establishing himself in the Benfica side. His impact was so drammatic that he even made Portugal’s World Cup squad, appearing in all four of his country’s matches.
Position: Striker
Age: 23
Nationality: Argentinian
Potential suitors: Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter and Juventus.
Valuation: £35m
Diego Maradona’s son-in-law, Aguero may not quite have the skill to match the great man, but his talent is still consdierable enough to atttract some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Aguero is another forward on this list who could hardly be described as freescoring – he only managed six goals in his first season with Atletico. However, last season saw a marked improvement in his goalscoring tally, as he notched 20 goals in 32 league games. In addition, he brings a lot to games aside from goals, meaning he is one of Europe’s most sought-after players for a reason.
10. Kaká (Real Madrid)
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 29
Nationality: Brazilian
Potential suitors: Man City, Chelsea and Inter.
Valuation: £30m
Once routinely described as the world’s greatest player, Kaká has fallen on hard times since moving to Real Madrid. A combination of injuries and loss of form have meant that the Brazilian is no longer as feared as he once was. Mourihno is not the type of manager to accomodate superstars for the sake of it, so it seems as if Kaká’s days are numbered. There will undoubtedly be no shortage of potential buyers should that prove to be the case.
9. Radamel Falcao (Porto)
Position: Striker
Age: 25
Nationality: Colombian
Potential suitors: Arsenal, Tottenham.
Valuation: £26m
A record 17 goals this season in Porto’s UEFA Cup triumph significantly enhanced the reputation of Falcao, who also helped his team to go the entire season without being defeated in the Portugese league. In total this season, he has scored an incredible 38 goals in 42 games – a tally that would have been enough to win the Golden Boot in most seasons, were it not for Cristian Ronaldo’s extraordinary exploits. Golden Boot or no Golden Boot though, the player remains very much in demand.
8. Luka Modric (Tottenham)
Position: Central Midfielder
Age: 25
Nationality: Croatian
Potential suitors: Barcelona, Man City, Man United.
Valuation: £40m
Arguably Tottenham’s best player and one of the key forces behind their successful Champions League exploits, Modric is an incredibly rare beast – a Xavi or Iniesta-type player who unusually plies his trade in the Premier League. The comparison is by no means unwarranted, as the little magician has a great eye for a killer pass and rarely gives the ball away to boot. Suspicions that he would not be strong enough for the Premier League have proven unfounded.
7. Wesley Sneijder (Inter)
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 27
Nationality: Dutch
Potential suitors: Chelsea, Man United.
Valuation: £30m
Surprisingly stuck with Inter last year despite interest elsewhere, the club’s declining fortunes could mean he will belatedly move on this time around. Known for his ability to unlock defences with incisive passing, Sneijder is one of several outstanding players to emerge froom Ajax’s well-regarded youth system. If they sign him, United may have the perfect replacement for Paul Schles on their hands.
6. Carlos Tévez (Man City)
Position: Striker
Age: 27
Nationality: Argentinian
Potential suitors: Inter, Real Madrid.
Valuation: £40m
Tévez could not have been said to have had a happy season (at least not in the literal sense of the word), despite scoring countless goals – enabling him to end the season as joint top goalscorer with Dimitar Berbatov – and playing an influential role in his team’s successful bid for Champions League football. The Argentinian seems intent on a move away from England, or at least Manchester, so a move to Spain or Italy seems likely.
Position: Striker
Age: 23
Nationality: Slovakian
Potential suitors: Man United, Milan.
Valuation: £26m
Slovakia’s national team captain is a midfield playmaker with an eye for a goal. Hamsik moved to Brescia as a 17-year-old and has barely looked back since, rapidly developing into one of the hottest prospects in Italian football. He also looks set to be key to his side’s prospects when they face Ireland in their crucial World Cup qualifier next September.
4. Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)
Position: Right Winger/Attacking midfielder
Age: 22
Nationality: Chilean
Potential suitors: Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Milan, Inter
Valuation: £35m
Another highly promising Serie A-based midfielder, Sanchez is seemingly wanted by everyone who’s anyone in the European football world. Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo in some quarters, the Chilean has a record of almost a goal every two games for Udinese. He has improved considerably this season and if his development continues at such pace, the Ronaldo comparisons may not seem too fanciful.
3. Javier Pastore (Palermo)
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 21
Nationality: Argentinian
Potential suitors: Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Inter.
Valuation: £44m
Pastore’s asking price was literally quoted at £44m by Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini, giving an indication of the player’s considerable ability. Despite being only 21, he has established himself in the Palermo side and played at the World Cup for Argentina and was even linked with a host of big-name clubs before moving to Palermo in 2009. His nickname is ‘El Flaco’ or ‘the thin one,’ but despite his slender build, he has proved more than a match for Serie A’s best defenders thus far.
2. Cesc Fábregas (Arsenal)
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 24
Nationality: Spanish
Potential suitors: Barcelona
Valuation: £50m
Linked with Barcelona seemingly since the beginning of time, Fábregas is undoubtedly one of the world’s best midfielders. Still only 24 having made his Arsenal debut at the age of 16, it seems his days at the club are numbered. However, if Arsenal keep playing hard ball and Fabregas continues to grow older and more injury prone, the Spanish club may well decide to look elsewhere.
Position: Striker
Age: 19
Nationality: Brazilian
Potential suitors: Chelsea, Real Madrid
Valuation: £30m
The 19-year-old striker has been linked with both a big-money move this summer, and based on his performance in a recent friendly between Brazil and Scotland, it’s easy to see why. Already a prolific goalscorer for Santos, anyone lucky enough to have the money to invest in Neymar will surely be getting value for money – event at £30m.
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