Pastures new?
The English transfer window may have closed before the start of the Premier League season, but most European clubs have until September 2 to complete their business. That means that although there'll be no more incomings to the English top flight, there could still be plenty of outgoings.
In this slideshow we've picked out these players who may still leave their clubs before the European market closes.
Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United)
“He’s been a disaster. He’s been an absolute disaster. I have no idea what’s happened to Alexis Sanchez,” Gary Neville said earlier this week, echoing the thoughts of Manchester United fans around the world.
The Chile international may have already left Old Trafford by now were it not for his £505,000-a-week earnings, which have proved a major obstacle to shipping him out. United hope that Inter will eventually agree to take him on loan, even if the Premier League side will still have to contribute a large chunk of his wages.
Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)
The Croatian was absent once again as Liverpool defeated Southampton 2-1 at the weekend, with a move to Roma having collapsed. Lovren has also been the subject of interest from Milan, and his future is still up in the air.
The 30-year-old, who joined the Reds from St Mary's in 2014, is fourth in the centre-back pecking order behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, and will surely find a new suitor before it's too late. Napoli have joined the race for his signature, according to reports.
Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea)
File this one under ‘unlikely but not impossible’. Chelsea were loath to lose too many players this summer given their two-window transfer ban, but they recently sanctioned the departure of Davide Zappacosta and it’s not out of the question that Batshuayi could also secure a loan move away.
The Belgian has spent time at Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Crystal Palace in recent campaigns, and he would likely have plenty of suitors were Chelsea to make him available in the next two weeks.
Victor Wanyama (Tottenham)
Following the purchases of Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele, Wanyama has found himself out of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. The Kenya international could therefore soon be plying his trade elsewhere, even if a move to a fellow Premier League club is now out of the question.
Club Brugge are the latest club to be linked with the former Southampton man, who is valued at £17m by Tottenham.
Adrien Silva (Leicester)
Surplus to requirements under Brendan Rodgers, Silva could return to Portugal with former club Sporting CP or rejoin Monaco after last season's successful loan stint.
The 30-year-old hasn’t featured at all under Rodgers, and the Northern Irishman has admitted that his Euro 2016 winner will likely leave before the European deadline. “He’s an experienced player, he’s 30 years of age and players like him want to be playing,” the ex-Liverpool boss said.
Carlos Sanchez (West Ham)
Signed to bolster West Ham's defensive midfield ranks last summer, Sanchez soon found himself surplus to requirements as Declan Rice made that position his own. Granted, the Colombian would have played more than eight times if he hadn't sustained a serious knee injury, but it's now hard to see him getting much meaningful game time this term.
At 33 Sanchez will no doubt be keen for regular minutes in 2019/20, which could lead to a move to a European club in the next few weeks. And with his contract due to expire next summer, West Ham would presumably be open to selling him for a transfer fee this time around.
Guido Carrillo (Southampton)
A disastrous signing midway through the 2017/18 campaign, Carrillo failed to score in 10 appearances for Southampton and was then shipped off on loan to Leganes a few months later.
He fared slightly better in Spain, netting six times in 33 outings, but the wonderfully nicknamed Cucumber Growers opted against signing him permanently. Saints won’t recoup the £19m they paid for the striker, but he could still depart in the coming weeks.
Henri Saivet (Newcastle)
Remarkably, Saivet is still a Newcastle player despite the fact he’s played just eight games for the club since arriving from Bordeaux in January 2016. The midfielder has embarked on loan spells at Saint-Etienne, Sivasspor and Bursaspor in the last three-and-a-half years, but he’s now back in the north-east with the Magpies having so far failed to secure a permanent move away.
Newcastle are keen to trim their wage bill and will no doubt hope to receive offers for Saivet in the next fortnight, but don’t be surprised if he’s still around post-September 2.
Jairo Riedewald (Crystal Palace)
A Frank de Boer signing back in summer 2016, Riedewald made occasional appearances under Roy Hdogson in his debut campaign in England but has barely been seen since. The former Ajax man didn’t make a single Premier League outing last term and the early signs suggest he’s in for some of the same in 2019/20.
Still only 22, the Dutchman must be keen to rebuild his career away from Selhurst Park. A return to the Netherlands could materialise before the closure of the European market.
Jordon Ibe (Bournemouth)
Bournemouth have made a habit of buying players from Liverpool in recent years, with Harry Wilson the latest to swap Anfield for the Vitality Stadium. Ibe once made a similar switch, but reports suggest he could be set to leave the south coast – at least on a temporary basis.
Celtic have been linked with a loan move for the winger, who's struggled to make an impact for Eddie Howe's side. However, a club from Europe may yet decide to take a punt on the 23-year-old wide man.
Kevin Mirallas (Everton)
For a brief time in pre-season it looked as if Mirallas was about to return to Everton's first-team setup in 2019/20, perhaps not as a starter but as a squad player. The deadline-day signing of Alex Iwobi pushed him further down the pecking order, though, and the winger was left out of Marco Silva’s matchday squads against both Crystal Palace and Watford.
Reports in Belgium claim that Everton have lowered their asking price in a desperate attempt to get Mirallas off the books before the European window closes.
Marcos Rojo (Manchester United)
Rojo is out of favour at Old Trafford, and fell further behind in the queue following Harry Maguire's arrival from Leicester. The Argentine, who saw a deadline-day move to Everton collapse, is keen on a move away and Valencia are said to be interested in his services.
Signed by Louis van Gaal in 2014, Rojo has made just 112 appearances in a five-year spell at Old Trafford. He netted his first goal in a 3-0 FA Cup replay against Cambridge United back in 2015, but has largely struggled throughout his career in Manchester.
Matej Vydra (Burnley)
It's tough being a squad player at Burnley. Sean Dyche likes to stick with a settled starting XI whenever possible, which means opportunities tend to be limited for those on the fringes.
Vydra is one such player, with the Czech restricted to just three Premier League starts in 2018/19. He's now even further in the shadows following Jay Rodriguez's return home, and could join a European outfit before the start of September.
Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal)
The Egyptian is expected to leave north London, with Galatasaray interested. The 27-year-old has been left out of Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad, and his agent Alan Namzy has been in London to discuss his client's future at the Emirates.
Elneny made just 17 appearances in all competitions last season, with Unai Emery favouring Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi in the defensive central midfield roles. A potential stumbling block for a move away could be the fact that he signed a contract extension until 2022 in March last year, meaning the Gunners will want to recoup a healthy transfer fee.
Ryan Kent (Liverpool)
After a highly successful season on loan at Rangers in 2018/19, Kent looked to be in line for another move – but potential suitors Leeds opted for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah instead. Now, the 22-year-old could head to the Bundesliga in search of regular game time.
Steven Gerrard is keen for Kent to return to Ibrox, but the Scottish giants can’t afford the £10m transfer fee set by Liverpool. The winger is currently plying his trade in the Reds’ under-23 side, but wants a permanent move away from Merseyside.
Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
Unai Emery has reportedly been keen to shift Mustafi since the end of last season, although he may be a little more wary now that Arsenal cannot make any more signings. Even so, the German is unlikely to play much this term, with David Luiz now first choice and Rob Holding poised to return from a long-term lay-off.
Roma have been linked with a move for a player who excelled during his previous stint in Serie A with Sampdoria between 2012 and 2014.
Tiemoue Bakayoko (Chelsea)
The Frenchman could re-join former club Monaco on loan, following a temporary spell in Italy with Milan – although the latest reports suggest PSG are also keen. Having moved to Stamford Bridge for £40m two years ago, Bakayoko is keen on regular playing time – and he won't get it with the Blues.
Frank Lampard has Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic as his midfield options, meaning there's no place for the 24-year-old. A move to Ligue 1 is highly likely.
Adalberto Peñaranda (Watford)
An odd one. The 22-year-old Venezuelan signed for the Hornets back in 2016, but only made his Watford debut against Woking in the FA Cup third round in January 2019 – a surprising lack of impact for a bright young player who helped his country to the final of the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup, where la Vinotinto lost to England.
Peñaranda has been loaned out in the past three seasons and is expected to leave Javi Gracia’s squad to pursue his career elsewhere.
Yannick Bolasie (Everton)
Bolasie made a decent start to his Everton career, but it’s all been downhill for the winger since he injured his anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United in December 2016.
After loan spells at Aston Villa and Anderlecht, Bolasie now looks set to seal a permanent switch away from Goodison Park. Besiktas and Trabzonspor are both thought to be interested in the former Crystal Palace man.
