Transfer: 2016 Summer Transfer Window

[cgf]

Doesn't make sense for both Gotze and Thiago to leave. One at least will remain.

I'd welcome Gotze at Juve

Seems most likely he goes back to Dortmund or joins Kloppo in Liverpool. Given how cheap watzke is, I'm hoping for the latter, buying both Torres & Tielemans wouldn't be that much more than Mario alone. So best not give him any more incentive to **** around with Dembele or cheap out on CBs.

 

[Cin]

Aleksandar Dragovic has apparently made himself available to Dortmund. I don't know anything about him.

 

[Bon Esprit]

Aleksandar Dragovic has apparently made himself available to Dortmund. I don't know anything about him.

Yes, I read that, too. He's an Austrian CB playing for Kiev IIRC. 25yo or something. Don't know him either.

edit: German link http://www.focus.de/sport/fussball/...zvoll-waere-es-auf-jeden-fall_id_5521121.html

 

[cgf]

Aleksandar Dragovic has apparently made himself available to Dortmund. I don't know anything about him.

Dragovic over Toprak for me. Grab him, Tah & Sule; and they'll have a better defense, even after selling Hummels, Sokratis & Subotic. With Sven, Merino, & Ginter; that's a good rotation of CBs who can handle the ball.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Sounds like Barca will buy back Denis Suarez for 3.25M

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Sounds like Barca will buy back Denis Suarez for 3.25M

Good, very good

 

[Vasilevskiy]

He'll never see the field. He'll never become a starter for Barcelona. Stupid decision by him. Also, where does that mean for Ben Arfa?

Oh, not true at all.
He's a better player than Rafinha and a better fit than Turan.
He is going to be a very good replacement for Iniesta in the games he doesn't play, and you know Iniesta doesn't play that much anymore and he's not getting younger.

I think if Ben Arfa is signed is to play in any of the front three roles

 

[Cin]

Dragovic over Toprak for me. Grab him, Tah & Sule; and they'll have a better defense, even after selling Hummels, Sokratis & Subotic. With Sven, Merino, & Ginter; that's a good rotation of CBs who can handle the ball.

After having a look at him he looks like a solid, big presence at the back.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Oh, not true at all.
He's a better player than Rafinha and a better fit than Turan.
He is going to be a very good replacement for Iniesta in the games he doesn't play, and you know Iniesta doesn't play that much anymore and he's not getting younger.

I think if Ben Arfa is signed is to play in any of the front three roles

Pretty much. Denis Suarez can line up as a winger if need be, but he will do well subbing in for Iniesta regularly.

I hope they now send Halilovic to Villarreal. Rumours about him going there or Sevilla/Valencia

 

[Deficient Mode]

Dragovic over Toprak for me. Grab him, Tah & Sule; and they'll have a better defense, even after selling Hummels, Sokratis & Subotic. With Sven, Merino, & Ginter; that's a good rotation of CBs who can handle the ball.

I disagree. Dragovic is solid in all aspects but doesn't replace Hummels' attributes. I generally like Toprak more but I don't think he can fully replace Hummels either and they might wait until next summer when his release clause kicks in. Watzke has also said that they don't want to replace Hummels with a very young player.

BTW Kicker is now also saying Dortmund is interested in Varane. Very long shot most likely.

 

[Live in the Now]

CL or no CL I would be surprised if he picked Juve instead due to the manager and speaking the English language already.

 

[Cin]

CL or no CL I would be surprised if he picked Juve instead due to the manager and speaking the English language already.

God I hope he winds up at Liverpool.

 

[cgf]

I know that this is the summer to sell Xhaka if crazy money is really being offered for him; but I'm still having a hard time picturing Granit Xhaka working with Arsene Wenger...nevermind how hard it is for me to picture Wenger actually shelling out the 45-50M to make it worth selling Granit before his buyout clause takes effect next summer.

Granit's a great character, but I'm having a tough time seeing his temper fitting into a lockerroom with the french professor (of antiquated football thinking). On the pitch he's exactly what Arsenal have lacked in midfield for ages, but it just feels like such a weird move to see Wenger make.

Hopefully he's taken Kramer's advice to heart and has carefully watched the issues Max Kruse has had a club that is not a fit for a personality like his. Cause BMG really is a great fit for a character like his and they are back in the CL with some very exciting names they've been linked to. Simeone's Athleti are one of the few bigger clubs where I think he'd be a perfect fit on & off the pitch as well, as well as Klopp's LFC if they take a big step next season, or maybe Mourinho's next stop if he joins another giant...just sayin but a Xhaka-Veratti duo in midfield with Matuidi alongside them & Mou at the helm, would be a b**** to deal with; but Wenger's Arsenal?

 

[Cin]

I like Xhaka, but $40mil +? Ludicrous.

 

[cgf]

He has a buyout clause that kicks in next summer for 35, why should they sell him for anything less than 40 this summer?

 

[YNWA14]

If we win on the 18th I will welcome Dembele and Gotze with open arms.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I'd prefer Goetze joins Dortmund. I don't want him to join Juve. Boring league to watch.

If Liverpool wins the Europa League, it's not the worst move, but I hope you guys can be competitive. I'd prefer he plays for a team thats perennially in the Champions League.

 

[yoplait]

Really hope he ends up at Juve.
Dybala + Gotze + Morata + Pogba would be a really fun young team to watch.
Time for Juve to take the next step.

 

[S E P H]

I know that this is the summer to sell Xhaka if crazy money is really being offered for him; but I'm still having a hard time picturing Granit Xhaka working with Arsene Wenger...nevermind how hard it is for me to picture Wenger actually shelling out the 45-50M to make it worth selling Granit before his buyout clause takes effect next summer.

You sure the rumour got squashed? Sounds like it's pretty close of being done by the reports.

Well, Wenger won't overpaying for him, that's for sure. So your actual fantasy of him paying him for 45-50 million will never transpire. What Arsene will do is pay a fair deal for both sides which is rumoured to be at 30 million pounds.

 

[cgf]

Eberl just said that no bid has been made yet. So it could well happen. But not for 30M. That's less than what they'd sell him for if they waited until next summer, when his buyout kicks in. If he's sold this summer it has to be by a good bit more than the buyout clause will be, otherwise he won't be sold. Wenger can screw himself over by being too cheap to get it done, again, but if he wants to make the transfer happen this summer he'll have to pay up.

*shrug* 50M is the pricetag Honigstein's reporting.

 

[Deficient Mode]

Eberl just said that no bid has been made yet. So it could well happen. But not for 30M. That's less than what they can sell him for next summer when his buyout kicks in. If he's sold this summer it has to be by a good bit more than the buyout clause will be, otherwise he won't be sold. Wenger can screw himself over by being too cheap to get it done, but if he wants to make the transfer happen this summer he'll have to pay up.

*shrug* 50M is the pricetag Honigstein's reporting.

Honigstein is also reporting that Gladbach is trying to sign a replacement before the deal, so it's worth considering whether Eberl is saying that there's no deal so that the club from which he wants to buy a replacement won't ask for an unreasonable share of that 50M. The 50M also includes add ons, so maybe it's around £30M or €38M plus potential bonuses reaching up to €50M.

 

[cgf]

Honigstein is also reporting that Gladbach is trying to sign a replacement before the deal, so it's worth considering whether Eberl is saying that there's no deal so that the club from which he wants to buy a replacement won't ask for an unreasonable share of that 50M.

That's what I think is happening.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they're also waiting to see who gets relegated before making their moves; i.e. Grilitsch would be a nice part of the solution to Xhaka's departure if Werder goes down, or Stendera if it's Eintracht getting relegated.

 

[les Habs]

Bayern signing Hummels is a huge get. I wouldn't even think twice about the fee as this is how it is these days even when a player has only a year left on his contract. On top of that Hummels is still relatively young and if he's good for the duration of his Bayern contract he'll have been worth every euro.

Hummels and Boateng, assuming they maintain their level, will be a top notch pairing. I've said it before, but it's just another example of top CBs being consolidated at the top clubs. And now in Bayern's case they not only arguably have the best CB pairing out there at the moment, but also the youngest proven top CB pairing in the game right now.

Ancelotti looks to be inheriting a better Bayern than Pep did. If he indeed has told Goetze he's not in his plans (which at this stage is odd news and were it Pep it'd be some sort of moral disaster) then that's on him though. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what Bayern still do this Summer. They have a few players they can offload who even if they don't bring a transfer fee windfall will free up a ton of money in wages.

As for Hummels choosing Bayern, people criticizing him need to consider a few things. He and/or his girlfriend/wife probably prefer to remain in Germany. On top of that he was in the club's youth ranks for some time (I'm not sure how long though). He's also going to a club that challenge at the highest level (not that BVB is too far off, but I don't see them challenging as Bayern do). And this is coming from someone who finds the move mildly disappointing.

He'll never see the field. He'll never become a starter for Barcelona. Stupid decision by him. Also, where does that mean for Ben Arfa?

Of course he'll see the field. With injuries and rotations he'll definitely get minutes as this season demonstrated. I'm sure someone will be leaving as well which will help him get minutes. Ideally about three players would be sold instead of just one though.

As for him ever becoming a starter, that remains to be seen. I think it's fair to question him being an undisputed starter in the future, but I wouldn't rule it out entirely.

 

[Savant]

Bascombe has Liverpool confident on signing Gotze

 

[Chimaera]

If Carlo has indeed told him he can move, Liverpool are in the top 2 or 3 places he would go.