Transfer Betting: Who Should Barcelona and Real Madrid Buy and Sell?
Jason Pettigrove Transfer
4 Dec 2017 0 0
With just under a month to go until the January transfer window is open for business, clubs across Europe will already be homing in on their preferred targets and ensuring that certain machinations are in place for them to be at the head of the queue if, and when, players become available.
At the beginning of the 2017/18 campaign, we were all led to believe that Real Madrid had the 'strongest squad in world football,' but in subsequent months the evidence has shown us that totally the opposite is true.
The core of Real's issues, as Zinedine Zidane himself admitted at the weekend, is a lack of goals. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have just four between them in 14 La Liga games, whilst Gareth Bale's persistent injury problems have hampered his efforts.
Though Zidane has largely himself to blame – Alvaro Morata was let go and Kylian Mbappe wasn't signed – the Frenchman will need to address matters at the beginning of next year, an unusual move for a club that rarely enter the winter market.
Real Madrid Transfer Targets
Mauro Icardi of Inter has been touted as the man to solve Los Blancos' striking issues, though he won't come cheap. His buyout clause is almost €100m but given that the Nerazzurri are top of Serie A and are the only unbeaten side in the division, the Italians will drive an extremely hard bargain.
Not to mention that the player himself, an ex-Barcelona academy star, has told various media that he simply won't pick up the phone should Real call. The odds for such a move are at
With Zinedine Zidane suggesting that Ronaldo and Benzema remain 'untouchable,' then Bale would appear to be the fall guy in any deal, should one come to fruition.
The Welshman's value will have plummeted considerably because of ongoing concerns as to his physical fitness, but if Manchester United are willing to take a chance, then the odds of for Bale to be a Red Devil by the end of the window represents good value.
Those odds are the same for Harry Kane to join a Real side that got to see him at close quarters not so long ago. As Ronaldo is more the central striker now than ever, it would require the Portuguese to deign to the English marksman to get this move off of the ground.
Barcelona Transfer Targets
Mesut Ozil is also at to swap Arsenal for Manchester United, but there is serious money being placed on a swap deal with Barcelona's Arda Turan. The Turkish international was in London at the weekend with his agent, and Arsene Wenger is known to be an admirer. With so many deals having taken place between the respective clubs in the not too distant past, another is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Sticking with the Catalan club, and rumours of another move for Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho just won't go away.
Though it's clear that the Reds don't want to part with one of their star players, it would appear that Barca aren't ready to give up just yet.
BetVictor are offering for Coutinho to be wearing the blaugrana before February 3, 2018.
1 hour ago 4 0
See all Transfer