European club seasons are a few weeks away, which means peak transfer season is here. After a pair of marquee tournaments, here are the biggest lingering questions.
The international football world doesn't tend to rest. The Euros and Copa América are just days in the rearview mirror, and the focus now turns firmly to the transfer market and the European club seasons that are on the horizon.
It's not like it's been a quiet summer on the transfer front while the competitions have been going on, both for players involved in the tournaments and those who were not. Jadon Sancho to Manchester United is on the verge of becoming official and completed, while André Silva to RB Leipzig, Achraf Hakimi to PSG, Rodrigo De Paul to Atlético Madrid, Ibrahima Konaté to Liverpool and Patson Daka to Leicester City are among the significant moves that have already crossed the finish line.
It's been a big summer for free transfers, too. Barcelona (Memphis Depay, Sergio Agüero, Eric García), PSG (Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos) and Real Madrid (David Alaba) have all taken advantage of a standout class of out-of-contract players. Two other free agents just happened to have claimed top-player honors at their respective tournaments, too. Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Donnarumma are, oddly, both technically without clubs, even though Messi's return to Barcelona on a new deal and Donnarumma's move to PSG are widely seen as formalities.
(UPDATE: Donnarumma's move to PSG is now complete, while Messi is reportedly finalizing a new five-year pact with Barcelona.)
Still, a number of questions persist as international competition season winds down and transfer season heats up. Here are the biggest ones:
Will the biggest names stay or go?
Erling Haaland didn't take part in the Euros after Norway's failure to qualify, but he remains the biggest name on the market. He turns 21 in a week, has an absolutely outrageous goal-scoring rate and is the total package at center forward. His status of being "on the market" depends on who is doing the talking, though.
Borussia Dortmund, which has already cashed in on Sancho this summer, has been adamant that Haaland is not for sale. Reports suggest that if a suitor meets a 175 million euro ($207 million) valuation, that Dortmund would relent, but it remains to be seen if that happens and if Dortmund would actually sell. Missing out on a significant payday (especially when there are reports that Haaland has a release clause that kicks in next summer in the 75 million to 100 million euro range, provided Dortmund qualifies for Champions League) would seem to be bad business, but worse for business would be missing out on the Champions League and the revenue that comes with it due to fielding an inadequate squad. Dortmund barely reached the Champions League last season as is. As it stands, Haaland is under contract through 2024 and staying put, though Chelsea and Man City's spending power may put that to the test.
As for other top attacking targets, Harry Kane and Jack Grealish are both reportedly on Man City's wish list, while Antoine Griezmann has popped up as another reported possibility for City given Barcelona's need to raise funds and offload salary. Tottenham doesn't want to sell Kane (especially not to a team like City and especially not when he's under contract for three more years), and Aston Villa doesn't want to sell Grealish, which naturally, complicates matters. But Man City is one of three clubs that should have no problem making an offer that a prospective seller cannot refuse (despite Pep Guardiola's insistence to the contrary), making the reigning Premier League champion and Champions League–obsessed side the key player in this summer's market.
What will become of the breakout stars of the summer?
Performing well in tournaments has always served as a springboard for players to make lucrative moves, and this summer should be no different.
Italy's Manuel Locatelli, Denmark's Mikkel Damsgaard and Joakim Maehle, Belgium's Jérémy Doku, Netherlands' Denzel Dumfries, Czech Republic's Patrik Schick and Sweden's Alexander Isak all put the world on notice at different stages of the Euros, while Colombia's Luis Díaz and Ecuador defenders Piero Hincapié and Pervis Estupiñán were among those to launch themselves more prominently onto the radar at Copa América (Isak did just sign an improved deal with Real Sociedad, but the chief objective there was eliminating a buy-back clause Dortmund had and ensuring he won't leave on the cheap). It's not like they came out of nowhere—all, save for Hincapié, are relatively heralded and already feature at decent clubs in top leagues. But nothing gets the "big" clubs swarming like the prospects of landing one of the men of the moment. It doesn't always work out as hoped (e.g., James Rodríguez, Real Madrid), and it often costs a premium, but that's the price of doing business in peak hours.
The future of the premium 2022 free agents
Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo are both out of contract after this upcoming season, which means that, barring a new deal or a transfer elsewhere this summer, they'll be up for grabs starting in the winter. They'll hardly be "free" given the astronomical wages they'll command, and it's not like they're going to wind up at Crystal Palace. The destination wish lists for the respective stars are finite. But they enter this season with the cloud of uncertainty hanging over them and their clubs, which won't be settling for anyone involved.
Mbappé, 22, reportedly has no desire to leave this summer; he just won't agree to a new long-term deal now, despite PSG ownership and sporting staff claiming that a new agreement will be reached. He was served a bit of humble pie this summer after a goalless Euros and the decisive missed PK that sealed France's elimination. But his talent and potential remain undeniable. Along with Haaland, he's the most sought-after player in the world. Have PSG's new signings convinced him of a glory-filled future in the French capital? That's arguably the biggest question in the club game entering the new season.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is in a different boat. He's 36 and on the downside of his career—a downside that still includes goals by the bucketload and golden boots for club and country. His transfer value isn't going to approach anything quite like that of his younger counterparts because of his age; that much is certain. So Juventus, which publicly has maintained that Ronaldo won't be sold, has to contemplate whether it's worth trying to recoup some of the fee it paid Real Madrid three years ago in futile hopes of winning the Champions League with the Portuguese legend, while also getting his wages off the books—or making another run with him in the hopes of securing an elusive Champions League title and either parting ways next summer or extending their relationship.
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