The transfer market for January has just come to an end, but the reality is that the wheeling and dealing behind the scenes never stops. We experienced a frenzy of moves of the final days after a slow first half of January. And now that that’s behind us, it’s time to discover the future of several stars in the coming months, probably even before June or July. In particular, beware of these five players who have not made their move in January and will be able to be protagonists in the summer.
Craving even more coverage of the world’s game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.
1. Paul Pogba
There was no possibility of a movement in January. The Frenchman will soon have to make a decision together with his agent and his camp, it will be a life choice and not just a professional one. Ultimately, he’ll have to choose to stay put at Manchester United on a record salary or leave for another league after six seasons at Old Trafford. Discussions will begin between February and March. Pogba hasn’t decided yet.
2. Kylian Mbappé
Had it not been for the Champions League draw which pitted Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 (on CBS and Paramount+), we probably would have seen Florentino Pérez make a stronger push in January to land the 23-year-old French forward after Pérez was turned down by PSG in August. They had planned a new attempt for January but ultimately, it was impossible to proceed after the draw.
Mbappé has never been in discussion for a winter transfer, but much like Pogba, he will soon have to make his decision. What we can safely guarantee is that Real Madrid have insisted on signing Mbappé this summer, as it is an absolute priority for Perez. PSG will try until the very final day of May to change Mbappé’s mind with a new contract, even if it’s a short-term deal, but Real Madrid have no intention of stopping their pursuit to bring him to Madrid.
3. Erling Haaland
Borussia Dortmund have put pressure on a decision that has not yet arrived from the Norwegian superstar. Erling wants to think about playing football at his best level for BVB and in the meantime decide on the best solution for his future. Pay close attention to this developing situation because what lies ahead are months of meetings, contacts and dialogues with Mino Raiola and Erling’s father Alfie Haaland at work in an important choice for one of the best players in the world. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City will certainly be in the race, while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain must be monitored in what could trigger a domino effect of strikers on the move in the market.
4. Franck Kessié
Kessié was surrounded by rumors and actually had the opportunity to move to Tottenham during the January transfer window. Ultimately, the Ivorian midfielder made the call to end the season with AC Milan who never thought of selling him as early as January, as they’re in competition to win the Serie A title this season. But if the negotiations between Kessié and the Rossoneri do not resume, he’ll be out of contract and free to go wherever he would like. If that’s the case, expect Spurs as well as Barcelona to be in the mix, barring surprises.
5. Paulo Dybala
This is one of the situations we will be monitoring immediately, because in the next days or weeks Dybala and his agent Jorge Antun will meet with Juventus again. The contract agreed verbally in October was never signed, and since then, Juventus invested in Dušan Vlahović so they will have a choice to make: Give Dybala what he requires or lose him as a free agent? There can be twists and turns on this deal.
