The cheeky little early transfer window door creaked shut but the transfer window proper is set to open on Monday as we split our focus between Premier League comings and goings, and the inaugural all-new Club World Cup.
The scouts will be out in force in the USA for FIFA’s pocket-lining competition to cast beady eyes on possible reinforcements and we reckon these ten players will be very much on display in the CWC shop window.
Rodrigo Mora (Porto)
Ruben Amorim supposedly wanted Sporting to sign Mora as the teenager was coming up through the Porto academy and unsurprisingly retains an interest in signing him for Manchester United on the back of ten goals and four assists in his first senior senior season.
That haul came despite Mora starting just 16 Liga Portugal games for Porto, largely in the left-sided attacking midfield role in a 3-4-3 formation that’s become infamous at Old Trafford since Amorim took charge.
The Red Devils could do a lot worse than Mora as they scour the market for alternatives to top target Bryan Mbeumo amid interest from Thomas Frank’s Tottenham, but will have to pay a similar fee for the 18-year-old, with Porto inserting a €70m [£59m] release clause into his new contract.
Goncalo Ramos (PSG)
Liverpool are reportedly considering Ramos as a fall-back option should they fail to land any of their top targets – we’ve ranked ten of them – and PSG have also ‘offered’ him to United for £50m, which can’t have felt good for a striker with a more than reasonable goalscoring record for the Ligue 1 giants.
And we wonder whether United should climb down from a high horse which has seen them make a failed attempt for Viktor Gyokeres ahead of various other doomed bids for elite strikers and consider a move for a guy whose 32 goals for PSG have come at a rate of one every 109 minutes when they’re current leading No.9 has scored 26 at a significantly reduced lick of one every 246 minutes.
Randal Kolo Muani (Juventus)
“I’m very happy at Juventus, I hope to continue there,” Kolo Muani said. “They welcomed me well, and I’m enjoying it.”
Juventus are also thought to be keen on retaining the France international’s services after his eight Serie A goals for them since his January move, but it remains to be seen whether they can meet PSG’s demands. They wanted €75m [£64m] for his permanent transfer in January but that asking price is now thought to have dropped to around £42m as the Champions League winners look to cash in.
United were also interested in January and are still being linked with the 26-year-old, while the majority of the Premier League big boys are keeping tabs.
Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
He could have moved to Arsenal for £70m-odd in January 2022 but opted for Juventus and is now available for just £25m after 56 goals in 142 appearances for the Old Lady.
Here’s hoping a path from Benjamin Sesko, past Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and the other top strikers on Andrea Berta’s wishlist leads to a man they used to really want but now absolutely don’t.
Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund)
“Let’s see how things develop in the future,” said Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl after revealing the “very, very respectful” talks with Chelsea over a move for Gittens before the CWC came to nothing.
“We have different ideas about the player’s current value,” Kehl explained, in the process revealing that the Bundesliga club are at least open to his sale for the right price.
They may well see the tournament as an opportunity to bring more clubs to a bidding war party for the Englishman, while Noni Madueke – who looked set to be the big loser had the deal been reached – should be looking at the CWC as a way to prove Chelsea don’t need to add further competition for his spot on the wing as Estevao will be hoping to impress through his displays for Palmeiras ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge.
READ MORE: The £1bn players that make a mockery of Club World Cup (and Arsenal)
Oscar Gloukh (RB Salzburg)
Gloukh’s performances at the European U19 Championships in 2022, including a stunning goal against England in the final, alerted the world to his potential. Interest from Barcelona was eschewed in favour of a move to Red Bull Salzburg, but he has since been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and, most recently, Aston Villa.
“It makes more sense for my development,” Gloukh said when asked to explain why he opted for RB Salzburg, aware as we all now are that the Austrian club is one of the best springboards to bigger and better things in Europe.
On the back of 11 goals and eight assists this season, the No.10 is now looking to follow Erling Haaland, Dominik Szoboszlai, Karim Adeyemi, Benjamin Sesko and other esteemed Salzburg alumni in taking the next step.
Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors)
Boca Juniors have put a timely €20m [£17m] release clause in the defensive midfielder’s contract ahead of a summer in which the 19-year-old is expected to turn plenty of heads in Europe.
Inter have already been credited with interest in Delgado, who describes himself as a dynamic, tactically minded player, who loves to steal the ball from the opposition, which sounds like precisely what Manchester United hoped they were signing in Manuel Ugarte and explains why they too have been linked with the teenager with Ugarte failing to meet that expectation.
READ MORE: The Famous F365 Friday Quiz: FIFA Club World Cup edition…
Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders)
“At this point, what I’d say is I don’t know if there’s a club in the world that doesn’t know who he is,” Sounders general manager and chief soccer officer Craig Waibel told reporters of Vargas after a recent training session. “I mean, anyone who’s got analytics, he’s triggered and kind of set off the red alarms.”
A come and get him plea if ever we heard one, and we can say with some degree of certainty that the 19-year-old central midfielder would be the first player hailing from Anchorage, Alaska to play in one of Europe’s top five leagues should he attract enough attention in Group B games against Atletico Madrid and PSG.
Samu Aghehowa (Porto)
He came very close to a move to Chelsea in what would essentially have been a straight swap for Conor Gallagher, but the deal broke down over what Aghehowa saw as a ‘disrespectful’ attempt from the Blues to buy 50 per cent of his image rights.
The 21-year-old went to Porto instead and has enhanced his reputation with 25 goals in all competitions. A €100m release clause makes a move this summer unlikely, but we suspect there will be feelers put out from the raft of Premier League clubs looking for a new No.9 if Aghehowa impresses.
Richard Rios (Palmeiras)
The 25-year-old, who’s got 21 caps for Colombia, was linked with a move to Wolves in January as a replacement for Mario Lemina, while Nottingham Forest have also been credited with interest along with – you guessed it – Manchester United. Palmeiras reportedly want £20m for him.
