Written by Alejandro Fernandez.
The summer transfer season is rapidly approaching, and there are plenty of rumours and sports betting flying about who will be heading where and when. Following the successful signing of a sponsorship agreement with Spotify, Barcelona are trying to make Liverpool star Mohamed Salah their top goal for the market. The transfer market for La Liga has opened, and there is plenty of fresh information to digest. Here are some of the most fascinating deals to keep an eye on this summer.
Mo Salah
The Blaugrana are looking to make an immediate impact in their effort to challenge Real Madrid for the La Liga crown next season and have put the 29-year-old winger at the top of their wishlist. He will have one year remaining on his contract at Anfield in the summer and despite recent suggestions that he intended to stay, there has been no statement about a new agreement. The sticking point so far has been Liverpool’s inability to reach an agreement with the Egypt international’s representation on personal conditions.
Salah has continued to be one of Klopp’s finest players this season, delivering 35 goals in 31 Premier League games, but it seems as if Barcelona may attempt to lure him to the Camp Nou if a deal is not struck before the season’s end.
Paulo Dybala
According to Calciomercato, the battle to recruit Paulo Dybala seems to be down to only two teams. The 28-year-old attacker was involved in contract discussions with Juventus during the season, but when it was rumoured that he was poised to depart, his next target seems to be Internazionale or Atletico Madrid.
Isco
Real Betis are pursuing a deal to sign Isco on a free transfer, Marca reports. The Verdiblancos are willing to make the 30-year-old offensive midfielder one of the highest-paid players in the club if he leaves Real Madrid in the summer. Isco has made only three La Liga starts for Carlo Ancelotti’s likely winners this season.
Rodrigo De Paul
Rodrigo De Paul was one of the top transfer targets last summer. Between 2016 and 2021, the Argentine established a great reputation at Udinese, earning a starting berth alongside Lionel Messi in Argentina’s national team.
Despite interest from many prominent Serie A teams, the midfielder finally joined Atletico Madrid for a fee of 38 million euros. However, the player’s enormous potential has yet to be fully realized at the Spanish club. In his 31 La Liga games this season, he has provided two goals and one assist.
Thus, Inter and Juventus will both strive to get De Paul back on Italian soil, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport via JuventusNews24. According to the source, the player is dissatisfied in Spain and would appreciate the opportunity to return to Serie A. However, the Italians must first persuade Atletico to allow him to depart on a loan basis.
Antonio Rudiger
According to a report by notable Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Antonio Rudiger is on the brink of leaving Chelsea as a free agent. The German international is expected to join Real Madrid through a Bosman deal, with the two sides nearing an agreement. Antonio Rudiger has transformed his career dramatically over the previous 15 months, becoming into one of Europe’s most trustworthy defenders. As a result, it’s unsurprising that teams throughout Europe are clamoring to sign him in a Bosman deal with his Chelsea contract about to expire in a little over a year.
The German international has made 196 appearances for Chelsea, with 12 goals and seven assists. However, the Blues are resigned to losing one of their best assets as a free agent in the summer transfer season. And it seems as if the 29-year-next old’s destination will be Real Madrid, with the two sides closing close on a deal.
According to recent sources, Rudiger aspires to join Real Madrid, who are in the market for a central defensive reinforcement during the summer transfer window. The Chelsea defender will bolster Carlo Ancelotti’s defensive options, which currently lack quality beyond Eder Militao and David Alaba. With Nacho as a backup and Jesus Vallejo not trusted at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Merengues’ central defensive options must be bolstered. Thus, Real Madrid opted to make an upgraded contract offer to Rudiger, which seems to have swayed the Chelsea defender.
The two sides are now expected to strike an agreement on a pre-contract basis, with Rudiger rejecting offers from Manchester United, Juventus, and other teams to join Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Chelsea will need to find a successor as quickly as possible, even though their present ownership situation severely handicaps them. Rudiger’s time at Chelsea will end in the summer transfer window, with Real Madrid his next stop in a Bosman move. It will be intriguing to watch who the Blues recruit as Rudiger’s successor.
I personally think Isco will flourish as a bético. He won’t have to deal with the press harassing him as an underachiever (at Madrid) and will immediately become a starter and main cog in Pellegrini’s so-far successful rebuilding-on-a-budget program.