In the last three months, the clubs had the opportunity to strengthen themselves by recruiting new players. And amidst all the formalities, all the rumours, all the deals, some players have come very close to seeing their fortunes change. For example, on the last day of the transfer window, Bayern Munich had to cancel the arrivals of João Palinha and Armel Bela-Kotchap, who could not complete the files before the deadline. The Portuguese had already posed with the German club’s jersey and had his photo shoot done. But he would return to Fulham while the Dutchman made a swift comeback a few hours later at PSV Eindhoven. But apparently these two players are not alone. Here are some of the hottest stories from this summer.
saudi arabia could take it all
During the summer, Saudi Arabia decided to hit hard by trying to attract the best players on the planet. It benefited from the arrival of the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Neymar, Bounau, Mahrez, Firmino to name a few. And other players could join him during the summer. On Al-Nassr’s side, the transfer window ended with the arrival of Spanish international Aymeric Laporte, who left Manchester City. But, originally, al-Nassar was aiming for a completely different profile, and that is French. Cristiano Ronaldo’s club primarily wanted… Dayot Upamecano. But there was no question of it being any different for Bayern Munich, which forced the club to change the goal.
Also on Al-Nassr’s side, the club tried to poach a player at the last minute. Al-Ahly, competitive, accelerated their transfer window and wanted to complete the arrival of a midfielder, with Frank Casey as a priority. So Al-Nassr tried a gamble and sent a delegation to Barcelona overnight to negotiate the transfer of the 26-year-old midfielder. But this attempt failed and the player took the direction of Al-Ahly.
Paris misses Veiga and Mahrez
In Saudi Arabia, we can also cite the case of Alvaro Morata. The Spain international was expected to leave Atlético de Madrid this summer to sign with Al-Shabab. The Saudi club had reached an agreement with Kolconeros and the player. Everything was closed. Except that in the meantime, al-Shabaab has changed its chairman and that has turned everything upside down. As a result, Morata could not return and was tied in a new season series in Madrid. A transfer in Spain surprised. This nugget is the departure of Gabriel Veiga. The young Spaniard, loved by all of Europe, left Celta Vigo for Al-Ahly. A blow for PSG, who were close to signing him.
Negotiations between the parties were progressing very well. So much so that a traditional medical check-up was planned before the signing of the contract. The 21-year-old midfielder was due to fly to Paris on July 5 to undergo his test. But this tour was canceled at the last moment. Still in Spain, Rayo Vallecano tried a good move for Sergio Ramos, but to no avail. In a flurry of transfers that may have been impossible, in Brazil, Santos tried to recruit Eden Hazard for the last dance in the land of football.
Aunahi and the temptation of Barsa
Lastly, there has also been movement from our Ligue 1 side. Starting with OM player Azzedine Onahi. At the end of the transfer window, the position of the Moroccan international, who no longer actually plays under Marcelino, was viewed by several clubs in England, Spain and Italy. On behalf of La Liga, FC Barcelona were interested in the player and this great opportunity. With the Catalan club’s limited means, loans were being considered in the final days of the transfer window to strengthen the midfield. But this was not interesting to OM who wanted a dry transfer in case the player left. Inter Milan was also on the lookout.
PSG could also recruit another star in attack. Riyad Mahrez, who was constantly tracked by Saudi Arabia while playing for Manchester City, was a prospect for PSG. But Luis Campos felt that the track was too expensive for the capital club. Finally, the Algerian international signed for Al-Ahly against 35 million euros… For its part, OL thought about Sergio Akeme at left back in the event of Tagliafico’s departure, while Youssef Fofana looked for Monaco and the English club Nottingham Forest refused, despite a written agreement between them. who eventually recruited Sangare from PSV). To end these crazy tales, Tottenham were close to doubling for Brennan Johnson by Chelsea. The Blues had reached a deal with Nottingham for the transfer of striker plus players including Callum Hudson-Odoi. But the deal fell through. In the end, Callum Hudson-Odoi joined the Reds for good but Brennan Johnson signed with Spurs for £52million.
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