Pay That Mendes His Money: The Summer 2021 Transfer Thread

[Dummy Hoy]

are we sure he will fit the PL style? by the time Bastian Schweinsteiger came to Utd, he was broken down and too slow

maybe the challenge would be go to Brentford and helping them win the league...

Edit: All joking aside, 100m for a 33 year old is dumb, but he's still playing at an absolutely elite level, he could do a job for anyone in the world.
It's a strange grenade to lob into the middle of the Bayern camp (a nagelsmann issuse?) for sure though.

 

[bosox4283]

Who do we think is going to land Vlahovic, the 21-year-old Serbian striker currently at Fiorentina? It seems that Atletico was in the pole position, but I've seen both City and the Spurs linked with him.

On Atleti's side, losing out on Vlahovic would be a tough pill to swallow since this pursuit seems to have distracted Atletico of signing Rafa Mir from the Wolves.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Who do we think is going to land Vlahovic, the 21-year-old Serbian striker currently at Fiorentina? It seems that Atletico was in the pole position, but I've seen both City and the Spurs linked with him.

On Atleti's side, losing out on Vlahovic would be a tough pill to swallow since this pursuit seems to have distracted Atletico of signing Rafa Mir from the Wolves.

If Kane leaves that'd be a nice pick up for Spurs. Or maybe Bayern if Lewandowski left

 

[67YAZ]

Lewa is clearly angling for a Klopp reunion.

 

[67YAZ]

Also, tucked in an Athletic article about Salah-Liverpool negotiations is the note that Grealish signed for £300k/week!!! Looks like KDB is around £385k. Could Harry break £400k?

 

[the1andonly3003]

Edit: All joking aside, 100m for a 33 year old is dumb, but he's still playing at an absolutely elite level, he could do a job for anyone in the world.
It's a strange grenade to lob into the middle of the Bayern camp (a nagelsmann issuse?) for sure though.

two striker formation!

Lewa is clearly angling for a Klopp reunion.

Salah-Lewa swap?

 

[Zososoxfan]

Who do we think is going to land Vlahovic, the 21-year-old Serbian striker currently at Fiorentina? It seems that Atletico was in the pole position, but I've seen both City and the Spurs linked with him.

On Atleti's side, losing out on Vlahovic would be a tough pill to swallow since this pursuit seems to have distracted Atletico of signing Rafa Mir from the Wolves.

Paratici is doing Spurs a world of good by just keeping everyone off the scent by constantly being linked with a minimum of 10 players. I do think the Vlahovic interest is real, but if Arry really leaves (I expect he will), I think Lautaro is the main target, and Vlahovic is a backup. Then again, Paratici actually knows world football and I could also see someone who hasn't been named yet filling the void in the short term.

 

[67YAZ]

Shaq to Lyon for £9.5m

 

[Cellar-Door]

https://theathletic.com/news/chelsea-west-ham-reach-agreement-for-zouma-but-move-held-up-by-personal-terms/cGShZEDEE8qG

West Ham and Chelsea apparently agreed to a £25.8m transfer for Zouma, but it's currently stalled on personal terms with Zouma wanting a huge raise to £125k a week, which would make him the highest paid player at West Ham.... either he's gonna drop that or it isn't going through, WH isn't going to pay that nor should they.

 

[DJnVa]

If true, I hope Levy let them hear him laugh before hanging up.

 

[Zososoxfan]

If true, I hope Levy let them hear him laugh before hanging up.

June was a long time ago. I'm sure the parties know roughly where this needs to land to make it work, and now it's a staring contest with leverage the key. Timing has to be the most important factor now with Spurs likely not willing to let Arry go for under 125M GBP without enough time to bring in a replacement. That also assumes that this isn't being held up by Spurs already whilst they negotiate with said replacement(s).

 

[bosox4283]

Rumors picking up today that Saul of Atletico is headed to Chelsea or ManU.

 

[Zomp]

What kind of player is he

 

[SocrManiac]

What kind of player is he

Spanish.

 

[HowBoutDemSox]

https://theathletic.com/news/chelsea-west-ham-reach-agreement-for-zouma-but-move-held-up-by-personal-terms/cGShZEDEE8qG

West Ham and Chelsea apparently agreed to a £25.8m transfer for Zouma, but it's currently stalled on personal terms with Zouma wanting a huge raise to £125k a week, which would make him the highest paid player at West Ham.... either he's gonna drop that or it isn't going through, WH isn't going to pay that nor should they.

Looks like it's going to get done, reports are now that they have an agreement on wages, we'll see what it shakes out to be:

It was previously reported that Zouma's wages were a stumbling block for West Ham, but this appears to have now been resolved.

Chelsea will presumably use that money on Kounde.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

It's amazing that Lyon basically can't give Aouar away. He was talked about as a 70m player not long ago, Arsenal reportedly were willing to pay 40-45m last summer, and now they're begging somebody to loan him, probably with an obligation to buy in the 20m range.

Rumors are circulating about his attitude and work ethic. But something must have gone really badly in that regard off the pitch last year for the word to be seemingly out across football to this degree. This is a guy who has looked like one of the best players on the pitch in CL matches against the likes of City and Juventus.

View: https://twitter.com/GFFN/status/1430212600067989507

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

This actually seems kind of plausible if the Kane deal doesn't materialize.

Would be entertaining just to see the reaction among the United fanbase (sorry Zomp).

I think he'd score a ton of goals just wandering the box and getting fed chance after chance by the City shot creation machine.

View: https://twitter.com/lequipe/status/1430215703748136960

 

[teddykgb]

Has to be a smokescreen to get Levy to move. Ronaldo is very professional but I can’t imagine Pep wants to coach a player the team has to be built around. I’m sure there’s a part of him that wonders but IMO it’s just a reminder to Levy that options exist

 

[67YAZ]

I’m into it just so Ronaldo can take over set piece duty from KDB.

 

[Kliq]

I'd love the banter on Ronaldo joining City.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Has to be a smokescreen to get Levy to move. Ronaldo is very professional but I can’t imagine Pep wants to coach a player the team has to be built around. I’m sure there’s a part of him that wonders but IMO it’s just a reminder to Levy that options exist

I'm sure City wants to put pressure on Levy and could feed this story to the media for that purpose. But it still could be a legitimate Plan B at the same time.

Ronaldo has one year on his contract and isn't in the age and position to ask for some kind of multi-year deal at his mega wage. He clearly wants to get out of Juventus and compete for the CL, especially after seeing Messi go to a stacked PSG. At this stage in his career I don't think he would be demanding that City build its team around him in the way Real did or Juventus tried. He might not run that much out of possession, but otherwise he would just be pure 9 who is still elite at getting on the end of chances and still a monster in the air. To me that is a player that might not be a quintessential Guardiola striker but one that City could absolutely use.

For City it seems particularly attractive if you could utilize him for a year and then keep the salary and space in the team free for the Haaland/Kane/Mbappe market next summer. Plus you get to stick it to United.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Has to be a smokescreen to get Levy to move. Ronaldo is very professional but I can’t imagine Pep wants to coach a player the team has to be built around. I’m sure there’s a part of him that wonders but IMO it’s just a reminder to Levy that options exist

This City/Spurs negotiation such as it is really feels like one where both clubs are actually pretty happy with their BATNA. Spurs seem pretty happy to keep Kane unless they get a bloated offer, City seems pretty happy to roll with what they have unless they can get Kane relatively cheaply.

Kane probably not thrilled, but also doesn't seem willing to be a large enough jackass to make it untenable to keep him at Spurs this year and if he's there, I assume he's too thirsty for the EPL scoring record to not perform.

 

[Zososoxfan]

This definitely reeks of City trying to apply pressure to Spurs, but that's fairly hollow since the two acquisitions are not that similar. Kane is likely to be among, if not the single best striker in the world over the next 2-3 seasons. Ronaldo is an interesting backup option but one that doesn't represent the same quality. I know next to nothing about the homegrown requirement other than it exists, but I think Kane likely provides additional value on that front. I won't guess as to interpersonal dynamics other than to say I think Arry is easier to get along with than CR7, even if it's harder to understand what he's saying. How do their [desired] wages compare?

 

[DJnVa]

Yeah, I mean, Spurs can go "oh no!" and.....keep Kane?

Okay.

 

[DJnVa]

 

[coremiller]

I don't get it. Why not just wait a year and sign Mbappe for free?

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

I don't get it. Why not just wait a year and sign Mbappe for free?

Its pretty insane. Throw in the wages and they are potentially paying 200m to have him for an extra year.

I see three possibilities:

1. Florentino just being Florentino, wants his toys at any cost.
2. They are petrified that if they wait a year they will lose him to somebody else.
3. They know the bid is going to be rejected and the whole thing is kabuki theater to appease the supporters and sponsors.

 

[teddykgb]

I don’t think you guys are properly contextualizing how much City fans would hate this. The Tevez “Welcome to Manchester” thing was brilliant fun but Ronaldo is like Mister United. Of course fans would get over it after he scored some goals but this would NOT be popular. I know how stupid that sounds but coming on the heels of the Superleague fiasco it would do major damage to Citys reputation with the fans you all allege do not exist.

Again, of course, City fans would learn to cope. But there would be a significant backlash for both City and Ronaldo were this to happen. At least Ronaldo won’t be tempted to kiss the City badge since our third kit doesn’t have one

 

[67YAZ]

Its pretty insane. Throw in the wages and they are potentially paying 200m to have him for an extra year.

I see three possibilities:

1. Florentino just being Florentino, wants his toys at any cost.
2. They are petrified that if they wait a year they will lose him to somebody else.
3. They know the bid is going to be rejected and the whole thing is kabuki theater to appease the supporters and sponsors.

But I’ve been told by many Liverpool websites that Mbappe admires the club and is desperate to play for Klopp!

Free transfers aren’t all that free. Mbappe coming over next year would ask for a huge singing on fee plus a higher wage. Plus, if Madrid believes Mbappe can help them secure La Liga, go deeper in the UCL, and generate more revenue through other streams this year…that balances the costs a bit. I mean, it’s still exorbitant and reflective of the galacticos mentality, but it has a certain kind of arrogant, mega-club logic to it.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

I don’t think you guys are properly contextualizing how much City fans would hate this. The Tevez “Welcome to Manchester” thing was brilliant fun but Ronaldo is like Mister United. Of course fans would get over it after he scored some goals but this would NOT be popular. I know how stupid that sounds but coming on the heels of the Superleague fiasco it would do major damage to Citys reputation with the fans you all allege do not exist.

Again, of course, City fans would learn to cope. But there would be a significant backlash for both City and Ronaldo were this to happen. At least Ronaldo won’t be tempted to kiss the City badge since our third kit doesn’t have one

What is the alternative backup plan if you don't get Kane? Another striker-less season and hope that you have enough to hold off a very strong looking Chelsea? Try to sign somebody like Lautaro Martinez that would then effectively rule out going after Haaland or Kane next year? Neither of those options seem all that attractive (relatively speaking, all outcomes are "good" in a certain sense given City's strength).

 

[Pesky Pole]

Its pretty insane. Throw in the wages and they are potentially paying 200m to have him for an extra year.

I see three possibilities:

1. Florentino just being Florentino, wants his toys at any cost.
2. They are petrified that if they wait a year they will lose him to somebody else.
3. They know the bid is going to be rejected and the whole thing is kabuki theater to appease the supporters and sponsors.

They are clearly afraid Klopp will talk him into coming to Liverpool to join the Haaland and Salah next year.

What's that? Oh, Kaide Gordon and Minamino are just like a new signing? Nevermind, we're good here, off to Madrid you go.

 

[teddykgb]

What is the alternative backup plan if you don't get Kane? Another striker-less season and hope that you have enough to hold off a very strong looking Chelsea? Try to sign somebody like Lautaro Martinez that would then effectively rule out going after Haaland or Kane next year? Neither of those options seem all that attractive (relatively speaking, all outcomes are "good" in a certain sense given City's strength).

The club is generally well run so there must be some backup target like Dias was but City don’t get into bidding wars. City generally pay release clauses or buy players who commit to only considering City. With no time to do the latter I’d have to assume that City would either have a deal with someone like Vlahovic on the back burner or some Spanish striker with a release clause

It is absolutely baffling to me that City got caught up in negotiating with Levy while Messi moved on a free with no resistance and Chelsea snapped up Lukaku. Txixi spent all of last summer dealing with ADLs nonsense with Koulibaly and decided to try to do a deal with Levy next. I suppose in his next act he’s gonna try to deal with Aulas

Edit: One wildcard here is Mendes. City are more than willing to work with him and I believe he represents Bernardo who supposedly wants to leave. Mendes supposedly was in Manchester for this this week but Mendes is pretty good at moving his players around so I think any client on Mendes list is a potential option for City if he gets to double dip with Bernardo. To me, the question is what Mendes is up to. It is entirely probable that Bernardo can’t move until the Kane situation is settled and Mendes is trying to move the entire market here. IMO Ronaldo probably wants a move and having City in play would motivate his other suitors. It may just be win / win for both City and Mendes for this to be out there

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

But I’ve been told by many Liverpool websites that Mbappe admires the club and is desperate to play for Klopp!

Free transfers aren’t all that free. Mbappe coming over next year would ask for a huge singing on fee plus a higher wage. Plus, if Madrid believes Mbappe can help them secure La Liga, go deeper in the UCL, and generate more revenue through other streams this year…that balances the costs a bit. I mean, it’s still exorbitant and reflective of the galacticos mentality, but it has a certain kind of arrogant, mega-club logic to it.

Was reported today that PSG rejected the Real Madrid bid (what are they thinking? They have to sell him).

The other nugget was that Real believe the unnamed English club is Liverpool. I just don’t see it … even on a Bosman.

Unless … the Salah negotiations aren’t going well. So you sign Mbappe for what ever ginormous deal he wants - plus a giant fee to PSG. Then you sell Salah to Real Madrid next summer to recoup some of the fee. John Henry’s playing 10D chess. Or it’s all made up drivel.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Kane saga ends.

View: https://twitter.com/HKane/status/1430496495225262084

 

[DJnVa]

This "summer", not this "season".

Hmmm.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

View: https://twitter.com/GFFN/status/1430516055789772802

 

[Zososoxfan]

It would be something for the Kane saga to end with him merely staying at WHL but then Mbappe leaving PSG before MNM can get off the ground. On that note, what is Mbappe thinking?? MNM has the potential to be remembered for ages. Messi could feed him 30 assists.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

On that note, what is Mbappe thinking??

I doubt he’s pulling the strings.

 

[67YAZ]

C’mon Michael Edwards, get ‘er done!

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

It would be something for the Kane saga to end with him merely staying at WHL but then Mbappe leaving PSG before MNM can get off the ground. On that note, what is Mbappe thinking?? MNM has the potential to be remembered for ages. Messi could feed him 30 assists.

I'm just guessing here, but Mbappe has a chance to etch his name in history as one of the greats. He probably understands that he'll never really hit those heights putting up video game numbers in a substandard league, then playing 5-6 meaningful matches in the spring. And while the CL is the biggest prize he hasn't yet won, if he does it while playing second fiddle to the GOAT that takes the shine off the accomplishment.

He is a boyhood Real Madrid fan and so maybe he is just backing himself to lead the next Real Madrid team back to greatness, rather than staying in his comfort zone. That's just one possible interpretation from the outside but if its roughly accurate then its a choice I respect.

 

[Zososoxfan]

I doubt he’s pulling the strings.

??? Have you been following this story this summer, and did you see the most recent tweet posted in this thread?

 

[Zososoxfan]

I'm just guessing here, but Mbappe has a chance to etch his name in history as one of the greats. He probably understands that he'll never really hit those heights putting up video game numbers in a substandard league, then playing 5-6 meaningful matches in the spring. And while the CL is the biggest prize he hasn't yet won, if he does it while playing second fiddle to the GOAT that takes the shine off the accomplishment.

He is a boyhood Real Madrid fan and so maybe he is just backing himself to lead the next Real Madrid team back to greatness, rather than staying in his comfort zone. That's just one possible interpretation from the outside but if its roughly accurate then its a choice I respect.

If only there was someone he was close with, maybe even a teammate, who had some experience with this situation...I mean, I know it's pretty unique circumstances, but maybe he should ask around the locker room--he just might get lucky.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

??? Have you been following this story this summer, and did you see the most recent tweet posted in this thread?

My point is virtually all of these players don’t wipe their own asses without their representives already telling them it’s a good idea to do so. Football players have a lot of power, but it’s not the same dynamic as what we see with NBA players.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

If only there was someone he was close with, maybe even a teammate, who had some experience with this situation...I mean, I know it's pretty unique circumstances, but maybe he should ask around the locker room--he just might get lucky.

Neymar rode the bus in the other direction, going to the weaker league to play 20 matches a year after he had already won the CL.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Neymar rode the bus in the other direction, going to the weaker league to play 20 matches a year after he had already won the CL.

My point is that I think Ney made a bad decision to leave Messi and Barca. Messi didn't take any of Ney's shine off from the 14-15 UCL title. This is a bit moot anyway, since Ney's production didn't really hit video game levels in France anyway. G+A by season:

2020-21:

1.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	48
2.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	39
3.	Harry Kane • Tottenham Hotspur	37
4.	André Silva • Eintracht Frankfurt	35
Romelu Lukaku • Internazionale	35
6.	Kylian Mbappé • Paris Saint-Germain	34
7.	Erling Haaland • Dortmund	33
8.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	32
Memphis Depay • Lyon	32
10.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Juventus	31

2019-20:

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	46
2.	Ciro Immobile • Lazio	45
3.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	38
4.	Timo Werner • RB Leipzig	36
Cristiano Ronaldo • Juventus	36
6.	Kevin De Bruyne • Manchester City	33
Jadon Sancho • Dortmund	33
8.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	29
Mohamed Salah • Liverpool	29
Thomas Müller • Bayern Munich	29

2018-19:

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	49
2.	Kylian Mbappé • Paris Saint-Germain	40
3.	Fabio Quagliarella • Sampdoria	34
4.	Nicolas Pépé • Lille	33
5.	Eden Hazard • Chelsea	31
6.	Duván Zapata • Atalanta	30
Mohamed Salah • Liverpool	30
8.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Juventus	29
Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	29
Sergio Agüero • Manchester City	29

2017-18:

Goals + Assists

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	46
2.	Mohamed Salah • Liverpool	42
3.	Ciro Immobile • Lazio	35
4.	Florian Thauvin • Marseille	33
Edinson Cavani • Paris Saint-Germain	33
6.	Harry Kane • Tottenham Hotspur	32
Neymar • Paris Saint-Germain	32
Luis Suárez • Barcelona	32
9.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	31
Cristiano Ronaldo • Real Madrid	3

Ney didn't make the top 10 goalscorers this season either.

2016-17:

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	46
2.	Luis Suárez • Barcelona	41
3.	Edinson Cavani • Paris Saint-Germain	39
4.	Edin Džeko • Roma	38
5.	Dries Mertens • Napoli	37
6.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	35
7.	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang • Dortmund	34
Harry Kane • Tottenham Hotspur	34
Alexis Sánchez • Arsenal	34
10.	Andrea Belotti • Torino	33

2015-16:

1.	Luis Suárez • Barcelona	56
2.	Zlatan Ibrahimović • Paris Saint-Germain	51
3.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Real Madrid	46
4.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	42
5.	Gonzalo Higuaín • Napoli	38
6.	Neymar • Barcelona	36
7.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	32
8.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	31
9.	Jamie Vardy • Leicester City	30
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang • Dortmund	30

2014-15 (Barca's treble year):

1.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Real Madrid	64
2.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	61
3.	Sergio Agüero • Manchester City	34
4.	Alexandre Lacazette • Lyon	33
5.	Kevin De Bruyne • Wolfsburg	30
6.	Neymar • Barcelona	29
Luis Suárez • Barcelona	29
8.	Mauro Icardi • Internazionale	28
9.	Carlos Tevez • Juventus	27
10.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	26
James Rodríguez • Real Madrid	26
Nolito • Celta Vigo	26
Carlos Bacca • Sevilla	26

Edit: Sorry for the formatting, it looked pretty while I was writing it

 

[coremiller]

Maybe Mbappe just really doesn't like playing with/second fiddle to Neymar. Neymar's hardly known for being the most committed to the team during his PSG tenure, but PSG just gave him a big extension.

 

[Kliq]

My point is that I think Ney made a bad decision to leave Messi and Barca. Messi didn't take any of Ney's shine off from the 14-15 UCL title. This is a bit moot anyway, since Ney's production didn't really hit video game levels in France anyway. G+A by season:

2020-21:

1.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	48
2.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	39
3.	Harry Kane • Tottenham Hotspur	37
4.	André Silva • Eintracht Frankfurt	35
Romelu Lukaku • Internazionale	35
6.	Kylian Mbappé • Paris Saint-Germain	34
7.	Erling Haaland • Dortmund	33
8.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	32
Memphis Depay • Lyon	32
10.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Juventus	31

2019-20:

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	46
2.	Ciro Immobile • Lazio	45
3.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	38
4.	Timo Werner • RB Leipzig	36
Cristiano Ronaldo • Juventus	36
6.	Kevin De Bruyne • Manchester City	33
Jadon Sancho • Dortmund	33
8.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	29
Mohamed Salah • Liverpool	29
Thomas Müller • Bayern Munich	29

2018-19:

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	49
2.	Kylian Mbappé • Paris Saint-Germain	40
3.	Fabio Quagliarella • Sampdoria	34
4.	Nicolas Pépé • Lille	33
5.	Eden Hazard • Chelsea	31
6.	Duván Zapata • Atalanta	30
Mohamed Salah • Liverpool	30
8.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Juventus	29
Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	29
Sergio Agüero • Manchester City	29

2017-18:

Goals + Assists

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	46
2.	Mohamed Salah • Liverpool	42
3.	Ciro Immobile • Lazio	35
4.	Florian Thauvin • Marseille	33
Edinson Cavani • Paris Saint-Germain	33
6.	Harry Kane • Tottenham Hotspur	32
Neymar • Paris Saint-Germain	32
Luis Suárez • Barcelona	32
9.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	31
Cristiano Ronaldo • Real Madrid	3

Ney didn't make the top 10 goalscorers this season either.

2016-17:

1.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	46
2.	Luis Suárez • Barcelona	41
3.	Edinson Cavani • Paris Saint-Germain	39
4.	Edin Džeko • Roma	38
5.	Dries Mertens • Napoli	37
6.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	35
7.	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang • Dortmund	34
Harry Kane • Tottenham Hotspur	34
Alexis Sánchez • Arsenal	34
10.	Andrea Belotti • Torino	33

2015-16:

1.	Luis Suárez • Barcelona	56
2.	Zlatan Ibrahimović • Paris Saint-Germain	51
3.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Real Madrid	46
4.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	42
5.	Gonzalo Higuaín • Napoli	38
6.	Neymar • Barcelona	36
7.	Robert Lewandowski • Bayern Munich	32
8.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	31
9.	Jamie Vardy • Leicester City	30
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang • Dortmund	30

2014-15 (Barca's treble year):

1.	Cristiano Ronaldo • Real Madrid	64
2.	Lionel Messi • Barcelona	61
3.	Sergio Agüero • Manchester City	34
4.	Alexandre Lacazette • Lyon	33
5.	Kevin De Bruyne • Wolfsburg	30
6.	Neymar • Barcelona	29
Luis Suárez • Barcelona	29
8.	Mauro Icardi • Internazionale	28
9.	Carlos Tevez • Juventus	27
10.	Karim Benzema • Real Madrid	26
James Rodríguez • Real Madrid	26
Nolito • Celta Vigo	26
Carlos Bacca • Sevilla	26

Edit: Sorry for the formatting, it looked pretty while I was writing it

I've been beating this drum for a while, Neymar hasn't had a healthy season in forever and he will be 30 in February.

I do think PSG is a weird situation for a superstar in their prime, as the league title doesn't really mean anything to the club (even though they lost it last season) and the entire focus is on these 5-6 games where kind of anything can happen. For an older star, like Messi now, it makes more sense to take it easier in the league season and only focus on the biggest prize, but for someone just hitting their prime, they are probably ambitious for more.

I do think there isn't that a big of a difference between most of the lower clubs in France and the lower clubs in La Liga. La Liga has a few more truly competitive teams, but outside of the Top 4-5 teams, I think both leagues have a similar quality of talent. If Mbappe goes to Real Madrid, I think he'd put up similar numbers than what he has done in Ligue 1.

 

[67YAZ]

if Mbappe goes, a knock of effect is that Pogba is 100% signing a pre-contract in January. The mega-clubs are heavily invested in retaining the biggest domestic stars & will over pay when necessary.

 

[coremiller]

So with Kane staying at Spurs, what do City do now? They still need a striker.

 

[Kliq]

So with Kane staying at Spurs, what do City do now? They still need a striker.

Do they though? They did score 83 goals last season while basically not getting anything out of Aguero. They might just role with Jesus and/or Pep's endless array of midfielders.