Arsenal catching Man City, above Liverpool, in top 20 clubs ranked by transfer allure to new signings
Manchester City remain the most appealing Premier League club – but Arsenal are gaining on them. Xabi Alonso’s decision perhaps decides the Liverpool v Bayern battle, but Real Madrid remain top.
Completely subjectively, here’s how we’ve ranked the world’s top 20 clubs on how attractive they currently are to potential new signings…
20) Brighton
There is now an aura around Brighton that leads all of us to think of anyone they sign: “He must be a player.” String a few decent performances together for the Seagulls and half of Europe is on your tail.
19) Benfica
Likewise, any player Benfica bring in to their first team, especially from South America, immediately goes on the watchlist of all the big hitters. The Portuguese giants have made around 1.5billion from player sales since the turn of the century, and few offer a better stepping stone or gateway to European football, all the while providing a Champions League platform.
18) Newcastle
A year ago, Newcastle would have been considerably higher. In the Champions League with grander ambitions, making marquee signings… it was a good time to board the Toon train. This year, the Saudis’ progress has been checked somewhat and the talk is of selling one or two of their top players to fund the necessary strengthening elsewhere. Still, Newcastle, in a fantastic, one-club, football-daft city playing at a cathedral of a stadium… any advances from the Magpies would have to be considered.
17) RB Leipzig
Leipzig are an unashamed stepping-stone club, the most senior member of their family, excelling at selling their assets on to the big hitters. Their track record will get them a meeting with any player on the ascent of their career arc. Being in the Champions League is a big pull, mind, and they are in danger of missing out for next season.
16) AC Milan
Second in the table but also the second-most attractive option in their own city right now. Milan had to rethink their transfer strategy in favour of targeting younger, hungrier and, most importantly, cheaper players and it worked so well they were kings of Italy again in 2022. They remain a long way off challenging for the best players in any way like they did in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but that remains true of most Italian clubs. They might not relish being used as a stepping stone but, as such, Milan are an attractive proposition.
15) Juventus
Some Juventus stars might not vouch for Max Allegri right now, but any player considering an offer from Juve is unlikely to get a bigger one from anywhere else in Italy. The Old Lady pays the biggest salaries in Italy right now. If only that were a guarantee of success.
14) Chelsea
Eight-year contracts would appeal to anyone. But many players who might be equally concerned about football factors would be wary about tying themselves to Chelsea for any period of time right now given the working conditions. Chelsea certainly used to be the most attractive club in the capital. Not any more.
Read more: Chelsea need Diego Simeone if Mauricio Pochettino fails to win the FA Cup
13) Inter Milan
Serie A used to be the most lucrative league and the one most coveted by the game’s biggest stars but the allure has faded down the years. It remains a brilliant place to ply your trade but Italian clubs simply cannot compete with their peers when it comes to salaries. Still, Inter could make a convincing pitch, having reached the Champions League final last year and running away with the Scudetto this season.
12) Atletico Madrid
Atletico need to hold their allure this summer since Diego Simeone has reportedly requested a rebuild of his squad including a revamped spine. Do they retain the same pull as when they were genuine title challengers and going as deep as possible in the Champions League without actually winning it? Perhaps not. If Simeone was to go, maybe to Chelsea, he would take a lot of their sway with him.
11) Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso might not stick around, but Leverkusen will retain much of their allure, especially for players looking for the next step before the really big one. The structure of the club is designed to withstand departures like Alonso’s – assuming he does leave for Bayern or Liverpool; he might not – and there is no need to sell all of their top players this summer. Even if one or two will move on, sporting director Simon Rolfes has shown he knows what he is doing.
READ: Florian Wirtz among five who could be next £100m footballer
10) Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund had carved out a niche as a stepping-stone club but they have perhaps lost their way in that regard. They were seen as the Bundesliga’s perennial runners-up and Champions League regulars but other clubs are closer to Bayern Munich right now. Still, while they aren’t paying Bayern money, they still have comfortably the second-highest wage bill in Germany and can offer a stage before the Yellow Wall.
9) Tottenham
Spurs were above Arsenal on this list in 2022, while being able to offer Champions League football and ‘the allure of working with a proven top-class coach in Antonio Conte’. Ahem. Still, Ange Postecoglou has proven himself to be a manager that players want to play for and the club have showed their intent to challenge by spending more money than any Premier League club other than Chelsea. London-based, playing in one of the very best stadiums in Europe… there’s a lot to like about what Spurs have to offer.
8) PSG
PSG have been a major pull in recent years, offering big money, a Parisian lifestyle, almost guaranteed trophies, and the chance to play alongside some of the biggest stars. But they stand at a crossroads, having shed the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi while preparing to wave off Kylian Mbappe. The Ligue 1 side are set to go opt for a more sustainable approach to their recruitment which may pay off in the end but, right now, they are not the pull they were not so long ago.
7) Manchester United
United’s name is up there around Real and Barca in terms of prestige and they should be in the top three. That they are not is a damning indictment of their leadership over the last decade. Sir Jim Ratcliffe still has to demonstrate credibility, but the new regime will certainly prompt interest from players looking beyond the massive pay-check on offer from the Red Devils.
6) Liverpool
Liverpool have the history and grandeur but, to the modern player, Jurgen Klopp was the primary pull. With the manager on his way, some players might be tempted to swerve Anfield while it remains unclear how the Reds adapt to life after Klopp, especially if they have good options elsewhere. And the players Liverpool want are never without options.
5) Bayern Munich
It used to be that moving to Bayern came with the certainty of silverware but, much to Harry Kane’s dismay, it is no longer a cast-iron guarantee. This season, though, is surely a blip, a reset, before they come back strong next season, especially if they take the coach who looks set to deprive them of the Bundesliga crown for the first time in a dozen years. Bayern remain Germany’s most storied club and they won’t sleep on this season’s failures and mistakes.
4) Arsenal
When we did this in 2022, Arsenal were the least appealing of the Big Six options. Now they are up there with the most attractive – arguably they are the most attractive. The Gunners are a team on the up, playing attractive football under a top-class coach coveted across Europe. And never underestimate the London factor, especially to imports. That makes them too close to comfort to this lot…
3) Manchester City
The allure of the Treble winners is tricky to gauge. They have the pedigree – obviously – in the modern game and, of course, the financial power to rival any club for any player. And, biggest of all, City have the Pep factor. For how long, though? With Klopp heading off, might potential recruits start to wonder for how long they will get to work with Guardiola?
2) Barcelona
Barca remain something of a financial basket case and playing away from the Nou Camp won’t have enhanced their appeal. But the Catalans will be home before the end of the year, under new management, and the challenge of restoring their former glories means they retain more sway than any other club. Except this one…
1) Real Madrid
Still the one club no one turns down. Kylian Mbappe tried really hard but Real always get their man in the end. Erling Haaland next? Real are oozing appeal once more with Mbappe on his way to join Jude Bellingham at the redeveloped Bernabeu in a fantastic city representing the continent’s most successful club.
Read next: Man Utd up to mid-table but top three still top three in the Barclays Mood Rankings