The £500m+ transfers which could be rushed through early in ‘exceptional’ window for Club World Cup
Chelsea will be busy in the ‘exceptional’ early transfer window added for Club World Cup signings, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United affected.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool to Real Madrid)
Liverpool supporters have undeniably been burned by One Of Their Own choosing to fly the coop. The subsequent scorched-earth policy over Alexander-Arnold has resulted in some Anfield boos and could yet engulf murals, statues and even the official end date of his Liverpool contract.
But the phrasing Liverpool used to confirm the imminent conclusion of a 21-year union felt deliberate while Real Madrid attempt to negotiate a small pay-off to facilitate a quicker exit. They stressed that Alexander-Arnold will leave ‘once his deal ceases on June 30, 2025,’ four days after the Spanish side’s final group game.
If Liverpool are unmoved by the prospect of six-figure offers then Alexander-Arnold could join Los Blancos in time for the knockout stage, the first round of which could well pit Real against Manchester City. Thomas Tuchel could have a say too.
Alvaro Carreras (Benfica to Real Madrid)
As well as Alexander-Arnold and Alonso, it is thought that Real Madrid also want a new centre-half and left-back through the door as early as possible.
William Saliba and Ibrahima Konate are on the shortlist for the former but both will be difficult to procure from elite Premier League sides and Champions League rivals at all, never mind so early in the window.
There is also Jorrel Hato of Ajax, who seems a far more realistic possibility, or Castello Lukeba of Leipzig.
Former Manchester United defender Carreras is the most prominent right-back mentioned, but they have a cheaper option on Juventus target Miguel Gutierrez after selling him to Girona a few years ago.
Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth to Chelsea or Real Madrid)
Chelsea are inevitably expected to be busy, with the wonderfully vague latest round of speculation claiming they want A Winger and A Striker to arrive in time for the tournament.
But their interest in Huijsen is clear, as is the level of competition they will face for him. Bournemouth are unlikely to stand in the way of the centre-half – and a £50m release clause renders that largely out of their hands anyway – and they might not mind if Chelsea’s desperation prevents a summer-long auction.
Arsenal and Liverpool are also in the running but Huijsen ‘dreams’ of Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso could have his new squad adorned with a shiny centre-half.
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest to Manchester City)
The belief is that Manchester City will not struggle to agree personal terms with Gibbs-White, but talking Nottingham Forest into ruining European campaign preparations by selling a crucial player with two years left on his contract for anything less than a premium price might be slightly more difficult.
But then winning the Club World Cup could earn almost £100m in prize money so if Gibbs-White can seamlessly replace Kevin de Bruyne the reported nine-figure fee would be repaid instantly.
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen to Manchester City, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid)
One transfer saga already playing out involves a probable £100m playmaker, three European giants and an apparent family disagreement.
While Wirtz himself remains open to any and all outcomes, it is believed that his father favours Bayern Munich and his mother has been championing the fourth option: staying at Leverkusen.
That does seem unlikely after five successful years with the former Bundesliga champions, who stand to lose their manager and a couple of key players this summer.
Wirtz might turn his back on a transitional season and Real Madrid have become contenders through their impending appointment of Alonso. Bayern will always be in contention for a player performing brilliantly in the Bundesliga, while Wirtz and his entourage flew in for talks with Manchester City recently.
Tijjani Reijnders (Milan to Manchester City)
Interest in Dutch midfielder Reijnders was said by David Ornstein and James Horncastle to be ‘independent’ of the moves for Gibbs-White and Wirtz, but Manchester City will still encounter difficulties over signing Reijnders.
With ludicrous money planned to be spent elsewhere, PSR will come into play after Milan made it clear that they would settle for nothing less than a record sale. Kaka remains their most expensive outgoing transfer at £56m so the ballpark starts there.
Joao Felix (Chelsea to Flamengo or Benfica)
It remains perhaps the most laughable of all Chelsea signings, playing out entirely predictably with barely any minutes for the Blues followed by a January loan to Milan during which precisely zero needles have moved.
Yet the idea of Felix will forever entice sporting directors with more money than sense, so of course both Flamengo and Benfica have been linked with either a loan or a permanent move which would ideally be put in place in June, and probably lead to Chelsea being stunned that the Portuguese is under contract with them for another six years.
Jorginho (Arsenal to Flamengo)
“If Jorginho comes, it will be after the season in Europe ends. I hope it will be in time for the World Cup,” said Flamengo chief Jose Boto in early June. The Brazilian club’s manager, former title-winning Chelsea defender Filipe Luis, has “a lot of respect” for “a great player”.
Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahli to Flamengo)
After two seasons in Saudi it seems that Firmino wants to enter the next and final phase of his career, rounding things off by playing in Brazil again for a bit.
Flamengo are interested but could encounter complications if they pursue both Jorginho and Firmino, with a pair of players in their 30s stretching the wage bill perhaps too far.
Cristian Romero (Spurs to Atletico Madrid)
It feels unlikely that Diego Simeone would put up with a fraction of the nonsense Romero has inflicted upon Spurs, but equally the Atletico manager is more likely than anyone to coach the ever-loving Christ out of that side of the World Cup winner.
Romero landing at Atletico would be a remarkable and vaguely offensive fall upwards but negotiating with Daniel Levy in any instance seems perilous, never mind when working within a briefer window.
There are suggestions emanating from Spain that the centre-half has agreed a five-year deal to move to the Spanish capital, but the paper that is signed on is worthless unless Spurs receive £60m.
Alex Baena (Villarreal to Atletico Madrid)
Atletico are expected to be busy and could use their Club World Cup spot as an excuse to expedite those summer plans.
A disappointing drop-off in three competitions has persuaded Simeone to bring in reinforcements and beating Barcelona to the signature of Baena would be a fine start, although winning a transfer race against a side with no money should really be a given.
Villarreal will be satisfied provided the 23-year-old’s £38.2m release clause is paid.
Tom Bischof (Hoffenheim to Bayern Munich)
Liverpool might closely monitor how talks between Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich go over an academy graduate’s early release from his contract in time to join up with new employers in the United States.
The champions announced in January that Bischof would be joining upon the expiration of his Hoffenheim deal at the end of the season. That was before the ‘exceptional’ window was added, since which Bayern have decided they would quite like to open their present early actually.
“Bayern have already contacted us. We won’t stand in Tom Bischof’s way,” said Hoffenheim sporting director Andreas Schicker. “If a good solution can be found, he can take part in the Club World Cup,” he added, with “good solution” in this instance apparently German for ‘suitable compensatory package’.
Anything more than £500,000 and Liverpool will be forwarding copies of the deal to the Bernabeu.
Mats Hummels (Roma to Borussia Dortmund)
While Hummels announced his imminent retirement from playing in April, he is human and the lure of facing Fluminense, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns can only be resisted for so long.
It can only be assumed that Roma are not particularly bothered about keeping the bench-warmer for any longer than is necessary, which means the one remaining obstacle to a stunning comeback is basically injury.
Nico Schlotterbeck is sidelined for the foreseeable, and if Dortmund suffer one more setback in defence then chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has already publicly described an emergency deal for Hummels as “the first alternative”.
David Hancko (Feyenoord to Juventus)
Two factors prevented Hancko from joining Liverpool and reuniting with Arne Slot this season, but the ship on his big move might not necessarily have sailed. After three years in the Eredivisie, Serie A might be calling.
Juventus made their move in January but were greeted with a brick wall as Feyenoord refused to countenance the mid-season loss of two important players, Santiago Gimenez having already left for Milan.
But their interest has not waned and the draw masters are hoping to welcome Hancko early, reportedly agreeing a five-year contract with the small matter of meeting the £25.5m asking price to come.
Luis Henrique (Marseille to Inter)
The Champions League finalists are not resting on their laurels and have seen off competition from Juventus and Bayern Munich to agree personal terms with Marseille forward Henrique.
Inter are eager to push the deal through in time for the Club World Cup, with Marseille only likely to be moved by offers of around £25.5m.
Oumar Solet (Udinese to Inter)
Petar Sucic is scheduled to arrive from Dinamo Zagreb for around £10m this summer, leaving defence as the remaining position of interest for the Italians.
French youth international centre-half Solet only joined Udinese in January but has been mentioned; Genoa’s Koni De Winters is on a list of alternatives.
Bruno Fernandes, Victor Osimhen, Marco Silva, Nuno Espirito Santo, Simone Inzaghi, Xavi and Jose Mourinho to Al-Hilal
The money set aside for the doomed pursuit of Mo Salah has been retained by Al-Hilal while they identify the marquee name they would like instead. A £510m budget probably won’t be governed by PSR restrictions.
Only two players have been named with any degree of conviction, with ‘top target’ Fernandes the subject of a ‘record-breaking’ move – reports of a £60m release clause have been rubbished – and £63.7m Osimhen always an option considering his availability.
There is also the small matter of who has the honour of guiding Al-Hilal into the tournament, with Jorge Jesus sacked following defeat in the Asian Champions League semi-final.
The well-connected Ben Jacobs produced a list of replacements including but not limited to the managers of Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Champions League finalists Inter and Fenerbahce, as well as the unoccupied Xavi.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz (Liverpool to Al-Hilal)
Liverpool could also be heavily impacted by the Saudi side’s desperation to make a transfer statement ahead of the Club World Cup, with two known targets still on the radar.
Nunez was the subject of at least one January bid from Al-Hilal, while Diaz was targeted by the same club in the summer of 2023. Liverpool could generate £136m with a double sale but it seems unlikely they will dispense with both.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr to anyone)
Since it became clear his actual team would take no part, the media have done their utmost to deliver one final chapter in the Ronaldo v Messi story by linking the Portuguese with a temporary move to all manner of participating teams.
The first round of speculation came before he extended a contract which was set to expire at the end of this season, when the idea of a one-month spell with one of the teams involved was mooted. Al-Hilal, Inter and Real Madrid were mentioned.
In recent weeks Chelsea and Palmeiras have joined the ranks of clubs who cannot afford Ronaldo even for four weeks and know the circus surrounding him is not vaguely worth sacrificing squad harmony and morale.
