Who will be packing their bags this summer transfer window?

  With a little over two months until the summer transfer window slams shut, there is still plenty of transfer business to be done. Now that most of next seasons managers are in place, barring Real Madrid and potentially PSG, they can begin to build their squads for the coming season. A number of deals have already gone through, most notably being: 

Neymar - Barcelona

Falcao, Carvalho, James Rodriguez and Moutinho - AS Monaco

Jesus Navas and Fernandinho - Manchester City

Iago Aspas, Kolo Toure and Luis Alberto - Liverpool. 

Stekelenberg and Amorebieta - Fulham

Schurrle - Chelsea

Llorente - Juventus

However, there are still some players who are still unsure of where they will be plying their trade next season. 

Gonzalo Higuain:  The Real Madrid forward has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid, with Juventus and Arsenal hot on his heels. Madrid have confirmed that they are prepared to listen to offers for the 25-year old Argentinian striker. There are even rumours that talks with Arsenal are in an advanced stage. Whatever that means! If this is true then it would be a real coup for the North-London club who are desperate for some much needed fire-power up front. 

Edinson Cavani: Another striker who has been linked with a number of top European clubs, including Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid. The Uruguayan who netted 38 times in 43 matches for Napoli last season, has a rumoured buy-out clause in his contract of £54m. However, his recent performances for Uruguay in the Confederations cup have been somewhat disappointing which could leave some clubs wondering whether he would be worth anywhere near this sum of money. 

Wayne Rooooooooney: After a title-winning season with Manchester United, many have noticed that Rooney is clearly an unsettled player, especially when he handed in a transfer request! Potential suitors for the England striker are PSG and surprisingly, Arsenal. The Gunners have insisted that they would be able to accommodate the high wages that Rooney would command. The current project at PSG would seem to be a much more natural place for Rooney to get involved with, although he would find himself in a fierce competition for starting places against Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi and Lucas Moura. 

Gareth Bale: After picking up  this seasons awards for PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year, the young Welshman has become one of Real Madrid's top summer targets. Spurs are determined to hold on to the Welsh Wizard as he was so influential in last seasons campaign. For a player of Bale's calibre, a dream move to sunny Madrid would be extremely hard to resist. Furthermore, if Real were to offer a sum in the range of £60m it would be difficult for Spurs to turn that sort of money down. 

David Luiz: With the arrival of the so-called 'Special One' or as he would call himself, the 'Happy One,' David Luiz's tenancy at Chelsea is being questioned. The twizzler-haired, often clumsy yet entertaining Brazilian has been linked with a move to Barcelona. The question is whether Mourinho feels there is an available position for Luiz for next season. With Mikel being rumoured to leave Chelsea during this transfer window, maybe a defensive midfield position could be the key for David Luiz to remain at Chelsea. But in terms of David Luiz playing in a centre-back position, I think many at Chelsea might be running out of patience with his constant mistakes and questionable positioning. 

Paulinho: Since the end of the season, the majority of the transfer talk around White Hart Lane has been concerning the possible departure of Gareth Bale. However, there could be some good news for Spurs fans, as the Brazilian central midfielder, Paulinho, has caught the eye of Daniel Levy and AVB. Last week it was revealed that a formal bid for Paulinho has been submitted by Tottenham. A potential central midfield partnership of Paulinho and Sandro could be a force to be reckoned with for next season. 

Cristiano Ronaldo: Could the Portuguese talisman be heading back to Old Trafford for a second stint? He has excelled beyond belief in his time at Real Madrid, scoring 200 goals since his £80m transfer in 2009. He was also part of the team that knocked Barcelona off their La Liga throne in the 2011/12 season. However, he has stressed that he is yet to sign a new deal at Real, leading many to speculate that a return to Manchester United could be on the cards. What an ideal beginning to David Moyes' managerial term that would be! 

Luis Suarez: The fiery Uruguayan striker could be on his way to Madrid, after publicly stating his desire to leave Liverpool. Suarez received a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea's Brana Ivanovic, therefore he is set to miss the first few games of next season. This could be an added incentive for Liverpool to cash in on a substantial offer from Real Madrid, should it arise. One thing that is for certain is that Ivanovic will not be too sad to see the back of the hungry Uruguayan. 

     These are just a few of the many transfers rumours that could become a reality over the next couple of months but there are many other dealings that could be in the pipeline for various clubs. Keep your eyes peeled for those ever-present transfer rumours and done-deals over the course of the summer!

Neymar - The new Pele or just a YouTube sensation?

   

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior

    Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, or more commonly referred to as Neymar, is a player that has burst onto the footballing scene in the last five or so years. At just 21 years of age, he is already being deemed by some as 'the new Pele.' Although, the fact that he is currently playing his football for Brazilian club Santos, means many are yet to witness the young man's talent first-hand. The majority of football fans around the world have only seen Neymar's ability through the medium of YouTube. Therefore, this begs the question: Does Neymar truly have the potential to compete alongside the best in the world, or is he just a player that looks good on YouTube?

    Firstly, it cannot be denied that Neymar has bagged a serious amount of goals during his time at Santos. His record currently stands at 101 goals in 167 appearances for Santos. For the Brazilian national first team he has netted 17 times, earning 30 international caps. It is plainly obvious that these are impressive stats for a 21-year old striker, but they are somewhat marred by the fact that he is yet to be tested in a major international tournament and he is playing in a league that is arguably a lower standard than some European leagues. 

    With Brazil's participation in the Confederations Cup just around the corner and the World Cup being held in Brazil next year, Neymar certainly has a chance to prove himself to the world of football. With clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea all keeping tabs on the young Brazilian, he will not want to disappoint. Especially, seeing as the World Cup is being held in his own back yard, he should feel confident playing in front of his adoring fans. The term 'adoring' is not used lightly on this occasion, as Neymar is worshipped as a hero figure by the supporters of Santos. Fans have been known to wear face-masks resembling their talisman striker as a sign of their devotion to him. However, this was taken a step to far by Neymar himself when he decided to celebrate one of his goals by donning his very own Neymar face-mask, which led to him subsequently being given a second yellow card and being asked to leave the field of play. Certainly not one of his finest moments in the spotlight. 

    In terms of Neymar's YouTube presence, there are literally thousands of videos documenting the striker's prowess in front of goal, his silky skills and of course his self-indulgent celebrations. For example, Neymar's 2011 Puskas Award-winning goal which he scored against Flamego. This goal has been watched by football fans all over the world over and over again because of its sheer brilliance. It won the afore-mentioned 2011 FIFA Puskas Award, an award given to the best goal of the year. There are also many montage videos showing Neymar's best moments of his footballing career so far. Clearly, these clips show Neymar to have an impressive talent on the pitch but it still needs to be highlighted that these 'highlights' are in a less testing league than leagues such as La Liga and the Premier League. 

    Personally, I cannot see Neymar leaving Santos before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, mainly because he is under contract until then. Also, because he is likely to want to prepare for the World Cup in a comfortable environment, which he is currently in with Santos. Until a big money move to Europe does occur, I do not think that Neymar can live up to compatriots such as Pele. For now he will just continue to be a player that pops up now and again on YouTube.