Five attackers that could still transfer this summer

Martin Macdonald

• 27 Aug 2021 10:50 BST
• 4 min read

The 2021 summer transfer window slams shut this Tuesday, and even though all of the major leagues around Europe have started, clubs are still clamouring to get last-minute deals over the line.

While most clubs on the continent are struggling financially as the pandemic continues, clubs from the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain, in particular, continue to splash the cash.

Manchester City spent a British record fee of £100 million on Jack Grealish, Manchester United signed Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, while Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea from Inter.

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PSG, meanwhile, have only gone and signed Lionel Messi on a free transfer from Barcelona, albeit on massive wages.

In terms of attackers, we could see some more massive deals.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly on the cusp of a sensational transfer to Manchester City from Juventus.

The Portuguese superstar is a legendary figure at Manchester United and previously said he would never play for their city rivals, but the move appears to be happening.

Juventus would allegedly be happy to allow Ronaldo to leave as it would allow his exorbitant wages to come off the salary budget.

Ronaldo earns more than the majority of the rest of the Juventus squad combined.

Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid have started official negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain over the transfer of World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.

The Frenchman is keen on a move to Santiago Bernabeu as he grew up as a fan of the club due to the presence in Spain of his hero, Ronaldo, whom he hopes to emulate.

Los Blancos have already had a bid of €160 million rejected by PSG, as the French giants want to recoup much more than the €145m they initially paid Monaco for the player.

However, any fee is unlikely to be exorbitantly higher as Mbappe is crucially now in the final year of his contract and is available on a free transfer next summer.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Little over a year ago, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had just, almost single-handedly, carried Arsenal to an FA Cup triumph and signed a new long-term contract as a result.

However, the Gabonese international had a disappointing last campaign, calling into question his commitment to the team and whether the contract would turn out to be a costly mistake.

Now, the 32-year-old could be set to leave the club as Arsenal look to offload their talisman, with Barcelona said to be interested in bringing him to Camp Nou.

Aubameyang's enormous wages could scupper any deal, though, while he also recently scored a hat-trick in the League Cup and looked content in an Arsenal shirt again.

Raheem Sterling

If Ronaldo does indeed move to Man City, Raheem Sterling is, according to reports, the player who could suffer the most in terms of game time.

At the moment, Pep Guardiola has Sterling, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Ferran Torres ad Gabriel Jesus who can play in attacking roles.

Add Ronaldo to that mix and there are going to be plenty of players left disappointed at not being in the starting XI frequently.

Paris Saint-Germain could attempt to bring Sterling to Ligue 1 as a replacement for Mbappe, should the Frenchman move to Real Madrid.

Timo Werner

Chelsea spent big on a flurry of new stars last summer, with Timo Werner arriving from RB Leipzig after his £47.5 million release clause was triggered.

The criticism aimed at the German for his performances has sometimes been over the top, but there is no denying that he eventually became completely bereft of confidence in front of goal as the season progressed, missing plenty of golden opportunities.

Chelsea's top scorer in the league in 2020/21 was Jorginho, and so Thomas Tuchel requested the acquisition of a world-class number nine. They got one, too, as Romelu Lukaku completed a return to Stamford Bridge.

Werner will now compete for the two spots in behind Lukaku with Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Should he wish to leave for first team football, a return to the Bundesliga has been mentioned.