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Ranking the Week's 20 Hottest Transfer Rumours with Neymar, Sturridge, Casillas

Karl Matchett

The transfer window has shut, but the rumours continue to circulate, as speculation grows on chances missed during January, moves that fell through and possibilities for transfers for the summer.

We have collated all the biggest rumours and moves in one place for your perusal, ordering them by reputation of the player, size of the club and the transfer fee mentioned where applicable.

It'll be a while before any of these deals can go through, if they do at all, but plans are already being laid for the new season.

Ronaldinho

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Leicester City made a late bid for Ronaldinho before deadline day, according to Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish), but the Brazilian veteran star turned down the Foxes in favour of a move to China.

The Foxes were looking for attacking reinforcements in the transfer window, and their search led to the out-of-contract superstar, who has been playing in charity matches and friendlies around the world since the end of 2015.

Leicester are top of the Premier League, and a Ronaldinho-Jamie Vardy strike partnership is probably not what the world expected to see this season.

John Terry

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Arsenal should make an immediate move for John Terry in the summer, says former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp in his column for the Evening Standard.

Terry announced last week that he wasn't getting a new deal at Chelsea and would be heading off at the end of the campaign.

Redknapp suggests that Terry would "walk into the Arsenal team" and compared him to the likes of Tony Adams or Bobby Moore for his leadership and organisation.

Iker Casillas

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FC Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas left Real Madrid last summer after a trophy-laden career with the Spanish club, but his time in Portugal may be limited to a single season.

Peter O'Rourke of ESPN FC reported the Spaniard is a top target for MLS side New York City FC this summer, now under the guidance of Patrick Vieira.

Frank Lampard, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo are other elder statesmen Europeans already at NYCFC.

Remy Cabella

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Newcastle United's out-on-loan attacker Remy Cabella could end up joining Marseille permanently for a lowered price, reported Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live.

Cabella signed for the Magpies for around £10 million in 2014, but Marseille can execute a clause to bring him back to Ligue 1 for just £6 million according to the report, and Cabella is happier being out of the Premier League.

He has scored three times in 19 games in Ligue 1 this season.

Marko Arnautovic

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Stoke City have been impressing onlookers over the past few transfer windows with their astute moves for the likes of Ibrahim Afellay, Bojan Krkic, Xherdan Shaqiri and—just last week—Gianelli Imbula, but one of their impressive foreign stars could be on his way out in the summer.

The Telegraph's John Percy reported Austrian winger Marko Arnautovic has a £12.5 million release clause in his contract, which means Stoke would be unable to prevent him leaving if a team opted to match that amount with a bid.

Stoke are currently trying to arrange a new contract with Arnautovic to raise or remove the clause, though his wages would also be increased.

Ezequiel Lavezzi

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Paris Saint-Germain forward Ezequiel Lavezzi could be the next big-name player to head to the Chinese Super League, according to ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke.

The Argentinian forward has been linked with a move back to Serie A or to Chelsea in recent months, but now Beijing Guoan from the CSL hope to take him in the summer when his contract at PSG expires.

Lavezzi would be following the likes of Ramires and Jackson Martinez to China, who have both moved there in the past month. Former Liverpool target Alex Teixeira has also headed to the far east, where he'll link up with Ramires at Jiangsu Suning, according to BBC Sport.

Aleksandar Kolarov

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Manchester City left-back Aleksandar Kolarov looked set to quit the Etihad Stadium this summer, but he is reconsidering after plans to bring in Pep Guardiola as new head coach were confirmed.

The Manchester Evening News' Stuart Brennan reported the current Bayern Munich boss is already having an effect on City's stars, with Pablo Zabaleta another who looks set to reconsider a potential summer exit.

Martin Demichelis and Yaya Toure, however, are suggested as potential outgoing players.

Riechedly Bazoer

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Ajax midfielder Riechedly Bazoer has openly claimed he wants a move to Barcelona—but not for "two or three years."

Speaking to Helden (h/t ESPN FC), Bazoer said:

I hope to be able to join my dream club Barcelona in two or three years. Their style of play suits me. I know that I need to score more goals, but I am working hard to improve. I have to become even more important to the team. 

My ultimate dream is to be a key figure at Barcelona in five years' time or so. I want to win trophies. Hopefully, everybody knows me by then.

The 19-year-old had the chance to join Napoli in January but turned down the move—and he has seemingly set his sights far higher.

Ander Herrera

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Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has revealed he would love to play for Boca Juniors at some stage.

Speaking with the Manchester Evening News' James Robson, the Spanish playmaker spoke of his admiration for the Argentinian club and suggested if he had the chance to move to South America at some point, they would be the team he wanted to represent.

He also indicated it was only an "idea" and that he was committed to United at this point.

Victor Wanyama

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Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama has been offered a new contract by his club, but he is stalling on signing on account of interest from the two north London clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

That's according to the Mirror's Darren Lewis, who suggested the five-year deal would tie Wanyama down to the Saints for the best part of his career—a move the Kenyan doesn't necessarily want as he already handed in a transfer request last summer.

Come the end of this season, Wanyama will have only 12 months left on his deal.

William Carvalho

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Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho continues to be linked with Premier League clubs, despite another window passing by where none took the plunge to sign him from Sporting Lisbon.

It was reported in Tutto Mercato (h/t the Mirror's Aaron Flanagan) that Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are all still keeping an eye on him, as well as AS Roma, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Barcelona.

Quite the collection—but if they don't move fast, his price will go higher, as the report indicates he has been offered a new contract with a €60 million buyout clause.

Lazar Markovic

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Liverpool's attacking midfielder Lazar Markovic is on loan in Turkey with Fenerbahce this season, but the chances of a permanent move appear remote.

Turkish outlet Sabah reported (h/t the Independent's George Cooper) that Liverpool have had eyes on Markovic at every match and are impressed by his displays, to the extent that even a £20 million bid would be turned down by the Anfield club—the same fee they initially paid Benfica to sign him.

Markovic has scored twice in 19 games this season.

Renato Sanches

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Eighteen-year-old Benfica midfielder Renato Sanches has made a huge impression this season after breaking into the first team with some aggressive and spectacular displays, and Manchester United have seemingly taken note.

The Red Devils are ready to move for him in the summer, according to Portuguese outlet O Jogo (h/t the Mirror's Aaron Flanagan), with a £46 million bid in the offing—significantly lower than his £60 million buyout clause.

Sanches has scored twice in the Primeira Liga this term and has clocked up almost 1,000 minutes of game time in the league, according to Transfermarkt.

Andriy Yarmolenko

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Andriy Yarmolenko has been a long-time target of Barcelona, but the Ukrainian winger has suggested he would snub a move to the Camp Nou on account of fears over playing time.

The Daily Mail's David Wood reported the Dynamo Kiev attacker told national outlet Futbol

It is better to play at Everton. 

Of course you can go to Barcelona, take a cool selfie with [Lionel] Messi, put the images on Instagram and get a million likes and be pleased with yourself. 

But I'm not one of those. 

For me it is important to play matches.

If I play, the next day I am all calm and smile. If I missed the game and lay in the house, I immediately run into a quarrel. 

If I do not play twice a week, I have nowhere to throw out the emotions and energy. My family will go mad.

Everton have also been linked with Yarmolenko, though it might be worth someone telling the player that the Toffees don't tend to last too long in Europe, if that's what he means by playing twice a week...

Diego Costa

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Atletico Madrid want to sign Diego Costa this summer from Chelsea, the club they sold him to 18 months ago, in a move to ensure that manager Diego Simeone stays in place at the Vicente Calderon.

The Evening Standard's Simon Johnson reported Chelsea have Simeone's name high on their wishlist for appointing a new boss at the end of the season and, with Jackson Martinez having just been sold, Atleti are ready to make major moves to give Simeone the tools he needs to succeed without leaving.

The report suggested Chelsea will demand more than the £32 million they initially paid Atletico for Costa.

Daniel Sturridge

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Daniel Sturridge's injury nightmare at Liverpool has left supporters frustrated and new boss Jurgen Klopp unable to select him for more than a game or two, and the Mirror's John Cross now reported the striker is fed up with the public perception of him not having the desire to return.

Indeed, the report indicated Sturridge is ready to depart Anfield this summer and start afresh with a new club, with "no shortage of interest" in him if he leaves Merseyside.

Sturridge has scored four goals this season in just 349 minutes of action, according to Transfermarkt.

Claudio Bravo

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Another of Pep Guardiola's potential signings for the summer: AS (in Spanish) reported that once the current Bayern Munich boss moves to Manchester City after this season, he will want to make a €30 million move for Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Bravo is the Spanish side's stopper of choice in La Liga, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen plays between the sticks in cup action and the UEFA Champions League.

Joe Hart, City's current No. 1, has played most of his career with the team and is England's first-choice, too.

Mauro Icardi

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Liverpool's move for Alex Teixeira in the January window was well documented, but it seems the Reds had eyes in other directions too.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported (h/t Football-Italia) that Liverpool made a deadline day €30 million bid for Mauro Icardi, but Inter Milan turned down the approach as they had no time to find a replacement signing for the striker.

Rumours continue to circulate that Icardi has had a falling out with Roberto Mancini, his manager.

Neymar

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Neymar's father mentioned while in court last week—as part of the case seeking to find the exact price of the 24-year-old's transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013, raised by Brazilian third-party investment fund DIS—that his son could leave Barcelona as he had an offer worth around €190 million from another club.

Now, Neymar Sr. has named Manchester United as the mystery club while talking to COPE radio in Spain, per Daily Mail's Oliver Todd. 

Neymar is still in discussions with the Catalan club about a potential new contract, but there's no doubting that any other club—with the financial means—would take him if he felt pushed out of La Liga.

Paul Pogba

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Rumours of which players Pep Guardiola will choose to bring to Manchester City in the summer are likely to continue circulating for the rest of the season, and this week's big name is Paul Pogba.

The Juventus powerhouse is linked with City by the Daily Mail (h/t Mirror's Liam Corless), who said the club will go head-to-head with Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid for the French international, but that Guardiola's presence will tip the balance in their favour.

The Mail reported City will back Guardiola in the market with well over £100 million.

   

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