Ronaldo, de Jong and the Biggest Remaining Summer Transfer Sagas

With all of the ‘Big Five’ seasons getting underway as of this weekend, these big names remain in the balance in the final weeks of the transfer window.

This weekend marks the starting point for the remainder of Europe’s “Big Five” leagues, with La Liga and Serie A following suit after the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 all beginning a week prior. It’s going to be an unusual season, with the World Cup now officially 100 days away after a bizarre late change to the schedule, smack in the middle and top of the mind.

“The players are very focused on the World Cup already, which is a good thing because they come in shape and take care of themselves. But it’s also a bad thing because they are also focused on World Cup and not just here,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said just prior to his club’s season-opening win over Everton. “We will see how it influences the players and their performances in October when it gets closer. 

“It will have a huge impact emotionally and physically on the players; they will come back drained. Big success and huge disappointment can also drain them mentally, and then days later we have Boxing Day. I'm a bit uncertain about all this.”

Fortunately for Tuchel’s club, which has been active all summer, and other big spenders or those in dire need, the transfer market is still there to help provide reinforcement. Sept. 1, three weeks from Thursday, remains the key date for all non-free-agent business to be sorted (and for all economic levers to be pulled), and until then, a number of drawn-out transfer sagas will remain in the spotlight. 

Here are the biggest names to watch as it pertains to who may be on the move in that time:

From left: de Jong, Ronaldo and Fofana are three players who remain in the transfer crosshairs with the summer deadline three weeks away / Imago Images (3)

Cristiano Ronaldo has as many viable suitors as he did upon the first reports of his desire to leave Manchester United, which is another way of saying it’s highly unlikely he gets his wish. Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG and Atlético Madrid are among those who have reportedly or outwardly passed on the chance to sign him, while Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez was recently caught on video laughing at the prospect of bringing a player at “38” (Ronaldo is 37 and will turn 38 in February) back to the Spanish capital. Man United manager Erik ten Hag has been diplomatic throughout and indicated Ronaldo is in contention to start Saturday vs. Brentford. Even if he comes off the bench again, as he did in the season-opening loss to Brighton, it seems only a matter of time before he’s more regularly integrated at Old Trafford, because the odds of it happening elsewhere aren’t great.

His teammate, Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, is reportedly in PSG’s crosshairs as the French club seeks to bolster an attack that already features Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. It did lose Ángel Di María to Juventus on a free transfer and is attempting to oust Mauro Icardi from the French capital, so aside from 20-year-old Hugo Ekitike, there’s a need for another capable scorer. If ten Hag gets his way, though, it won’t be happening.

“He’s a really important player. You have seen from the first day I’m here, I’m really happy with him,” the manager said. “I don’t want to lose him; he’s definitely in our plans at Manchester United.”

Another player evidently in Man United’s plans is midfielder Adrien Rabiot, with Juventus reportedly happy to sell the 27-year-old to United in a move that could cost as much as $24 million. Club football director John Murtough was pictured Friday in Turin, where he was expected to push the deal over the line with Rabiot’s agent and mother, Veronique.

On the other side of Manchester resides a club operating out of far less desperation. Man City’s squad is largely set, with the arrival of Anderlecht left back Sergio Gómez a bit of consolation after the club was outbid by Chelsea for Marc Cucurella. Amid a summer that has seen Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Julián Álvarez arrive and Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko go, the one remaining question centers on Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese star has been one of the many players linked to cash-strapped, lever-happy Barcelona this summer, and he gave ESPN a bit of a cryptic response when asked about his future with Man City. 

“I’ve always said that I’m happy here, but I have no idea what’s going to happen,” he said. “We’ll see, honestly. My relationship with the club is very honest. I’ve been open with them and they know what I want. If I stay, I’m very happy, and I will always respect this club and give all my best. If not, it’s football and we’ll just see what happens.”

Barcelona’s ability to afford anything has been in question all summer, yet the club remains content selling off its assets to balance the books and build a robust squad through the transfer market nevertheless, pending player registrations with La Liga. Cheslea’s Marcos Alonso is another player in its sights (Tuchel confirmed that the left back wants to leave the club), while center back Samuel Umtiti and forward Martin Braithwaite are reportedly two players it wants to offload despite those players remaining content to collect what they’re rightly owed on the reportedly inflated contracts they signed when joining the club. 

Then there are two more matters for Barça to sift through: the Frenkie de Jong soap opera (such is the club’s messaging on de Jong that he was booed by fans entering training this week for wanting to remain at a club and play under a contract that both he and the club signed, all while being owed $18 million in deferred wages), and the chicken-or-the-egg saga featuring Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

Man United and Barcelona reached an agreement for de Jong’s transfer a month ago, but the player reportedly wants no part of Old Trafford, even if his former manager at Ajax, ten Hag, is now running the show. Chelsea is also reportedly interested in a transfer that would net a significant fee for Barcelona, while also ridding itself of a high wage. The club’s desire to take de Jong’s name through the mud while simultaneously praising him and citing his importance to its project has been one of the more incomprehensible elements to a window full of them.

As for the forwards, with the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, there is not a need for all three, and Barça would do well to take strides in balancing its books by offloading at least one of the two backup options. Tuchel has spoken openly about his relationship with Aubameyang (they worked together at Borussia Dortmund to a successful degree), while Memphis is reportedly a candidate to be sold to Juventus. The problem is that each wants to see what unfolds with the other before weighing whether it’s wise to leave Catalonia, and until one piece of business is sorted, neither will be. Speaking on the eve of Barcelona’s season-opening match, manager Xavi put it rather bluntly and matter-of-factly: “We don’t know what’s going to happen with many players until the end of the window.”

As for Chelsea, it has been the equivalent of a baseball player whose approach is just to swing hard, knowing that the strikeouts are coming, but there may be some home runs along the way. Perhaps that’s an apt metaphor considering Los Angeles Dodgers owner Todd Boehly is now running the show, both from the owner’s suite and as sporting director. Aubameyang, de Jong and Leicester center back Wesley Fofana are reportedly the three targets Tuchel would like to see arrive at Stamford Bridge (Leicester manager Brenden Rodgers remains adamant that Fofana won’t be sold). Considering all of the overlap, rivalry and conflict between Chelsea and Barcelona this summer, having them have the final word over this wild summer window would be quite appropriate.

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