Every summer needs its sagas, but these five are getting a little tiresome as the end of the transfer window approaches. Yan Diomande initially dominated the headlines, but once Real Madrid stepped up where Liverpool and PSG were unwilling to, the focus shifted entirely to Barcola. We are now roughly seven weeks into the PSG winger being Liverpool’s primary target, yet the situation remains stagnant. The impasse is purely due to a valuation gap; while we do not blame either side for refusing to capitulate, PSG is most culpable for the delay, as their £145 million asking price is frankly a bit ridiculous. Liverpool must have received some encouragement to persist, perhaps from Barcola himself, as personal terms are already agreed—a task that should not have been difficult given his current salary would not even place him in Liverpool’s top 10 earners. One side will have to cave or make hefty compromises for this to happen before the deadline, which we are not sure will occur.
At Manchester City, Enzo Maresca wants time to assess his inherited squad. Despite having specialist wingers like Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Monga, the club is only sure of being able to rely on two. This lack of certainty should increase the haste required as the deadline nears. Savinho struggled in his second season, managing only 14 starts across all competitions and seven goal involvements, which suggests Tottenham is being more than fair by offering £60 million.
The saga involving Marcus Rashford and Manchester United is equally tedious, particularly the pretense that they might make up and live happily ever after. While that is possible, it would be a forced marriage necessitated by a lack of interest elsewhere. United’s preference is to get their highest-earner off the books, and Rashford would prefer a fresh start, having not played for his boyhood team in 20 months. We still expect a departure to be the final outcome, as United’s demands are not unreasonable in the current market. United may have to bite the bullet and risk Rashford thriving at a rival, but that is the price they must pay to draw a line under this sorry saga.
Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvarez has been draining. Atletico Madrid grew tired of the situation back in May, posting images on social media of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri in Atletico shirts to highlight what they called a smear campaign to unsettle Alvarez and lower his price. Before the ballot, it was unclear that the bid was never designed to be successful, but was instead intended to disrupt Barca. Alvarez was left in a tricky situation, hoping to return to Spain as a Barca player after the World Cup, but the Catalans could never get near the £130 million valuation that Atletico reasonably holds. Things came to a head last week when Alvarez returned to training with Atletico, causing a stir in the Spanish media. With no sign of Barca meeting the price, Alvarez is now in a repentance stage, having reportedly apologized to teammates for going public with his wishes to move to the Nou Camp. His biggest mistake was trusting Barca to do what was necessary.
Finally, the Enzo Fernandez saga has only come to the boil in the last fortnight, influenced by the World Cup and managerial changes at both his current club and the one he fancies joining—though Real Madrid is not interested. Anyone who watched Fernandez stare down irate Chelsea fans at Brighton knew he would attempt to jump ship, even if things look rosier at Stamford Bridge following Xabi Alonso’s appointment. Fernandez’s former boss, Enzo Maresca, is now at Manchester City, and as is tradition, the new manager has been linked with his old players. While there is legitimacy to the links, we have always doubted City’s desire to give Chelsea a profit on the £107 million they paid for him. Chelsea sought clarity on City’s intent by setting a deadline for their demands to be met, which came and went with nothing happening. However, things could get spicy if Fernandez attempts to force a move, as the two clubs are not too far away from an agreeable number.
Reports suggest they want £145million for the winger and they are perfectly entitled to push their luck, especially in the current market. But, c’mon lads…
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