Transfer Talk #3 - Busy Bayern, Hopeful Hazard and an Ajax Exodus?

BUSY BAYERN
After a disappointing season that only resulted in a 7th consecutive league title and reaching a domestic cup final, Bayern Munich seem to be trying to put the woes of only winning the league by a single point instead of the usual 30 and losing to Liverpool in their own back yard by splashing the cash as much as possible. With club legends Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben finally leaving the club after making 474 appearances between them across a trophy-laden 12 years, as well as the departure of Rafinha and the likely exit of James Rodriguez, a revamp of the Bayern squad is desperately needed. The 5-time European champions have already reached triple figures this summer as they snapped up French World-cup winning left-back Lucas Hernandez for a club record £71 million, a purchase which was quickly followed by the signing of another world champion full-back as Benjamin Pavard arrived from relegated Stuttgart for £35 million. The Bavarians have now moved their attention to one of the most exciting players in world football, as Leroy Sane seems to have become available after being demoted to a cameo role off the bench in the second half of Man City's title-winning season. The German winger has found himself playing second fiddle to Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, with even his bench-warming buddy Riyad Mahrez edging ahead of him towards the end of the season. A talent like Sane is unlikely to be wasted as a substitute for long, whether that be at Man City or elsewhere, and already the vultures are circling with Bayern the prime favourites to secure the forward's signature. Munich and Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has added further fuel to the transfer fire by saying he is "sure" the transfer will be completed in the coming days, but the two parties seem to be at loggerheads over the player's valuation, with Bayern's reported bid of £70 million still someway short of City’s £100 million asking price. Money aside, Sane would be the perfect replacement for Robben and Ribery and would inject some much-needed pace alongside Serge Gnabry in an otherwise ageing Bayern side that need a marquee signing to transport them back to Europe’s top table after a disappointing Champions League campaign.
PREDICTION: Deal - Sane will swap Manchester for Munich in the quest for more game time, and
Bayern will end up paying the requested £100m to get their man

HOPEFUL HAZARD

The Galactico-style upheaval that was predicted at Real Madrid last season following the departures of Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo never materialised, as President Florentino Perez chose instead to invest in youth (and Thibaut Courtois) rather than follow the tried and tested model of buying ready-made players in their prime that has delivered 4 Champions Leagues in the last 6 years. Cue disarray at the Bernabeu, as Julian Lopetegui, having left Spain a day before the World Cup started, lasted just 14 games before interim coach Santiago Solari found himself with the permanent job, then quickly found himself without it, and Perez was forced to go crawling back to Zidane, begging the former midfield maestro to return to the beleaguered Blancos. Zidane is now back in the hot seat, but after being humiliated by Ajax in the Champions League and losing 17 times in a single league campaign, the Frenchman has been given assurances that there will be money to spend in the transfer window and he will be the one who can spend it. Eden Hazard has been linked with Real Madrid for what feels like an eternity, and with just a year left on the Belgian’s contract 2019 appears to be the year when Real finally get the deal over the line, as they edge closer to Chelsea’s asking price of £110m, with £86m being the current offer on the table. With the world’s harshest fan base sharpening their knives and prepared to blame anyone who crosses their path, but mainly Gareth Bale, Perez and Zidane will likely stop at nothing to get Hazard to the Bernabeu and will probably end up paying way over the odds to make sure it happens.
PREDICTION: Deal - This transfer is a matter of when rather than if, but Chelsea will drag it out for as long as possible, forcing Real to pay upwards of £110m

AN AJAX EXODUS

It seems a shame that a team as promising as the current Ajax crop will never be seen again, as their exciting blend of tiki-taka and frightening pace is likely to evaporate as quickly as it appeared. Despite their sensational Champions League run, the financial inferiority of the Eredivisie means that  even a domestic double won't be enough to keep the likes of Matthijs De Ligt and Hakim Ziyech in Amsterdam. Unfortunately for Ajax fans, the exodus has already begun, as Frenkie De Jong has joined Barcelona for a reported £65 million as a long-term replacement for the legendary Sergio Busquets. De Ligt looks set to follow De Jong to the Nou Camp after a move to Man United fell through, and Ziyech's absurdly low £25 million release clause has already attracted several potential buyers. There is some hope for Ajax as defenders Nicolas Tagliafico and Daley Blind have pledged their futures to the club, but it may be some time before the Dutch giants get anywhere near a European final again as the core is set to be ripped out of a side that lit up football this season.
PREDICTION: Deal/No Deal - De Ligt will go to Barca for £80m and Ziyech to Liverpool for £25m, but the likes of Dusan Tadic and Donny Van de Beek will stick around for at least one more season