Griezmann and five transfer listed stars who have no buyers
Carlo Garganese
- 10 Aug 2022 11:53 CDT
- 4 min read
There is now just a few weeks to go before the summer transfer window closes, which means that wantaway players are running out of time to find a new club.
A host of big-name players have either requested to leave their clubs or have been transfer listed by their team.
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We take a look at those who are up for sale but are generating no concrete interest.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation at Man Utd this summer has been farcical as he missed the club’s entire pre-season tour, officially due to family reasons.
He also went home at half-time during the pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano, leading to a backlash.
It is public knowledge by now that Ronaldo has requested to leave the club. Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has been talking to numerous European clubs - namely Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG, Atletico Madrid and Roma - trying to find a suitor.
But currently no team is prepared to make a concrete move.
Neymar
Neymar’s future at PSG is still clouded in uncertainty.
It has been reported by reliable sources for several weeks now that PSG would be happy to let Neymar go.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has criticised the Brazilian in public indirectly and when specifically asked if Neymar was staying, the boss refused to confirm he was part of the plans.
However, there is virtually no interest in him at all. The big reason for this is the Brazilian’s salary which is a whopping €49m per year. Furthermore, Neymar has started the season well, which may prompt PSG to think twice.
Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal are desperate to sell club record signing Nicolas Pepe, who has been an almighty flop since joining from Lille in the summer of 2019.
Pepe endured a particularly bad 2021-22 season, managing just one Premier League goal and two assists in the entire campaign.
This is a record that has convinced Arsenal it is time to cut their losses on the forward, and he has been placed on the transfer list.
But there are few clubs out there willing to spend on a player who will not come cheap either in transfer fee or salary – he makes €8.5m per year.
Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid last year after two miserable seasons at Barcelona but his time back in the Spanish capital has been just as bad.
Having shone at Atletico between 2014 and 2019, Griezmann now looks a shadow of that formerly great player.
He is 31 and Atletico want to get rid of him. They have even decided not to give him a squad number this season.
The problem is he is on loan for one more season from Barcelona, which complicates their chances of releasing him, while there doesn’t appear to be any interest in him anyway. Barca, certainly, will not take him back.
Eden Hazard
The situation with Eden Hazard is pretty clear. Real Madrid would love to offload him – either on a permanent sale or on loan – but there is simply no interest in the Belgian.
Hazard was one of the best players in the world when he joined Madrid from Chelsea in 2019 for €100m but has been plagued by injuries and poor form.
In the 65 games he has played for Madrid, Hazard has managed only six goals and eight assists.
Madrid have come to accept that Hazard will stay as a bit-part squad player for the coming season, with manager Carlo Ancelotti even confirming this.
Read more about: Premier League, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Man Utd, PSG, Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo
