Kylian Mbappe decided to stay with Paris Saint-Germain, rejecting Real Madrid’s offer. Erlij Haaland moved to Manchester City, the English champion, but other big names still occupy the summer transfer market in football. AFP takes a look at five players to follow in the coming weeks.
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
After eight fantastic seasons with Bayern Munich, the Polish striker decided to leave. Lewandowski will turn thirty-four in August, but he has a season left on his contract at the Allianz Arena, and he openly announced last month that his saga with the Bavarians is over.
Bayern insists on retaining a player who scored 50 goals for his club last season and was the Bundesliga’s top scorer over the past five seasons, while president Herbert Hainer said, “A contract is a contract.”
But if Bayern wants to get a financial return, he must sell him this summer, otherwise he will be a free player. It is said that Barcelona has prepared a three-year contract for him and that the former Borussia Dortmund striker wants to leave for the Spanish League.
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
The Senegalese striker spent six successful seasons with Liverpool, winning the Champions League and English Premier League titles with him, but it seems that his career at Anfield may end a year before the end of his contract, in light of Bayern Munich’s desire to include him.
“Don’t between 60 and 70 percent of the Liverpool fans want me to leave? I will do what they ask,” said Mane, 30, who is participating with his country in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this week.
But according to English reports, Liverpool rejected a 30 million pound ($37.6 million) offer from Bayern to sign Mane, who has scored 120 goals since arriving at Merseyside from Southampton in 2016.
Darwin Nunes (Benfica)
In the transfer game, the departure of Lewandowski and Mane may lead to the transfer of Uruguayan Darwin Nunes to Liverpool. The striker, who turns 23 this month, was the Portuguese league’s top scorer last season, with 26 goals for Benfica. He also scored six goals in the Champions League, including two quarter-final matches where he lost to Liverpool.
The Uruguayan international, who joined Benfica from Almeria in 2020, has a contract with the Portuguese capital team until 2025 and will not leave at a low price. But Benfica wants 100 million euros ($107 million), according to Portuguese press reports. Reports also indicate Manchester United’s desire to include him.
Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
The Frenchman’s contract with Manchester United ended, concluding a second fruitless period at Old Trafford, where he returned in 2016 from Juventus, for a world record deal at the time of 89 million pounds ($116 million at the time).
The name of the 29-year-old world champion, after a disappointing last season with the Red Devils, was associated with a previous move to Real Madrid, especially Paris Saint-Germain, where he was born and raised in the suburbs of the capital.
But the midfielder appears to be making his way back to Juventus Turin, where he played between 2012 and 2016. The player, who was previously linked to the late agent Mino Raiola, is expected to sign a contract with the old lady that will provide him with 8 million euros (8.6 million euros) annually.
“I only want the best for me,” Pogba said this week in an interview with an American website. “I think, tie things up, take my time and wait for the best. I just want to play football, be myself and enjoy what I do.”
“We can lose matches and titles, but you have to be happy wherever you are.”
Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
The 25-year-old Frenchman’s contract with Barcelona has expired, after five years weighed down by injuries. The Catalan seemed willing to preserve him, especially after regaining his levels following the arrival of the new coach, Xavi, in the middle of the season, but the negotiations seem to be stalled. His name has been strongly associated with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but the former Rennes player does not rule out a move to the English Premier League.