Pedri, Mbappe and the five most important transfers of the next decade

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 29 Mar 2022 10:26 BST
6 min read

The transfer of a footballer from one club to another has long been just as important as what actually happens on the field.

Each summer, and to a lesser extent in January, clubs for the most part are giddy at the prospect of spending millions of pounds to improve their squads.

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It is the aspect of football that undoubtedly receives the most coverage, due to its importance.

FootballTransfers recently compiled a list of the 50 most important transfers of all time, which you can read via the links below.

There are, however, a couple of transfers that have happened, and indeed a few that will happen, that will be majorly impactful on the football world over the next 10 years.

Pedri - Las Palmas to Barcelona (€5m)

While the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, as you'll see below, continue to grab most of the headlines when the discussion arises of who the best young player in the world is, Spanish youngster Pedri goes about his business with poise backed with outrageous talent.

Pedri has emerged as one of the most exciting young stars in the world since breaking into the Barcelona team following a move from Las Palmas in 2020.

Basically, nobody in Europe played as much football as the 19-year-old over last season, as he has featured for Barcelona in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, and for Spain in qualification matches, the European Championship and finally the Olympic Games.

Pedri is recognised as the future of Barcelona, and with that in mind, the Blaugrana have become extremely keen to tie him down for as long as possible with a new contract, which will happen soon enough.

It appears that, finally, Barca have their successor to Andres Iniesta.

Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain to ?

The future of Mbappe has been a saga for a while now. Will he or won't he leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid?

The World Cup winner is out of contract in June, and it has seemed almost certain for over a year now that he would eventually sign for Madrid in the summer of 2022.

On transfer deadline day last summer, Real Madrid tabled an outrageous €200 million bid for Mbappe in full knowledge they could sign him for free a year later. Paris Saint-Germain didn't even bother to respond to the bid, and negotiations never happened.

Mbappe remains one of the most expensive players in history, having joined PSG from Monaco for a cool €140m.

Kylian Mbappe, PSG, 2021/22 — © ProShots

So, the French giants are facing the possibility of losing the second most expensive footballer ever (after Neymar) for free which is a disaster any way you look at it.

Subsequently, we could see a shift in the balance of power depending on where he goes. It could signal a return to another Galactico period for Madrid.

Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund to ?

One of the hottest properties in world football at the moment is Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland.

While Mbappe was around first, Haaland has made a quicker impact on the game, and this duo are widely tipped to create a new Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo-type rivalry that will take football into the next decade - even if they end up at the same club.

The Norwegian has proved himself a goalscoring machine, and in the 2021/22 season alone has 23 goals in just 19 starts in all competitions.

Haaland has a release clause of €75m that can be activated this summer, but subsequent payments on wages and agents fees could see the outlay on any deal reach double that amount.

Erling Haaland, Dortmund, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Wherever he ends up, it will represent a major example of player power, as not only will he command an exorbitant salary, but reports indicate that he is only willing to sign a three-year deal at most with his next club.

We could be entering a new era of even shorter contracts on a lot more money, and players taking over could be down to Haaland and his agent, Mino Raiola.

Julian Alvarez - River Plate to Man City (€18.5m)

There are dozens of players over the years who have been dubbed as the 'new Lionel Messi'.

Fortunately for Manchester City, they might have acquired the wonderkid as close to the real thing as you can get, as make no mistake about it - Julian Alvarez is a future superstar.

Alvarez joined River from Atletico Calchín in 2016, and prior to that actually had a trial with Real Madrid in which he impressed.

Though he made an impression in the white of Los Blancos, Real Madrid could not sign him at the time due to age restrictions.

Julian Alvarez, River Plate — © ProShots

Alvarez truly came into his own in 2021, with a magnificent return of 24 goals and 15 assists in just 46 appearances in all competitions.

Man City have already enjoyed a period of massive success under Guardiola, and with the purchase of Alvarez, they have ensured they already have a leg-up on their competition in England for the next few years, too.

Romelu Lukaku - Inter to Chelsea (€116m)

This cautionary tale of spending is the entry on our list with the biggest negative spin.

While it may have seemed odd on paper for Chelsea to spend so much money on a player they once had on their books as a young prospect, the signing of Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2021 was undoubtedly a statement transfer from the club.

After dominating Italian football with Inter with 64 goals in 95 games over the course of two seasons and helping the club win their first Serie A title in 10 years, Lukaku returned to English football as one of the best strikers in world football and with a new point to prove.

Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea, 2021-22 — © ProShots

He took just 15 minutes into his second debut to find the back of the net, away against Arsenal.

Lukaku's performances have fallen away as the season has gone on, while he sent shockwaves through the club by expressing regret at having left Inter.

He recently broke a record for having the least amount of touches (seven) for a starting Premier League player since Opta records began in a match against Crystal Palace.

There is a real possibility that the signing of Lukaku will be the last transfer ever of this magnitude from Chelsea, as it was the last one that happened before the sanctions were imposed on owner Roman Abramovich which led to the club being put up for sale.