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Summer 2018 Transfer Rumors: Fact Or Fiction?

By Alex Conrad July 19, 2018
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The rumor mill is in full swing, so who's going and who's staying?
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The summer 2018 transfer window is in full swing with plenty of money being splashed out on players by clubs looking to get the edge over their opponents. While some transfers do get confirmed, there are tons of rumors that float about. Some become fact, but many, many more become fiction.

Here’s our guide to the major summer 2018 transfer rumors. We rate each rumor on our very special scale of zero to five, zero meaning absolutely zero chance of it happening and five being a dead certain. Check back each day to see if any of these rumors are confirmed, as well as the latest rumors of the day!

Summer 2018 Transfer Rumors

Benjamin Pavard | VfB Stuttgart to Bayern Munich: Pavard was one of France’s biggest breakout stars at the FIFA World Cup, and his exploits are likely to earn him a move away from his current club VfB Stuttgart. As is custom in Germany, if a player has a good season, they are more than likely going to be a member of Bayern Munich next season. 

This is a move that I wouldn’t be shocked by if it happened, but it also doesn’t make much sense. Pavard is a center back by trade, not a right back, so he would be sitting behind Niklas Süle, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng in the center back pecking order, as well as Rafinha and Joshua Kimmich at right back.

RUMOR RATING: 3.1/5

Thibaut Courtois | Chelsea to Real Madrid: Courtois won the Golden Glove award at the World Cup for being the best goalkeeper. He made plenty of saves to keep Belgium in with a chance in their matches. Courtois was outstanding in goal for Atletico Madrid during his time in La Liga, but he hasn’t really recaptured that form at Chelsea. A move back to Madrid, albeit for Real, could rekindle his outstanding club form. 

A likely move, but Chelsea might increase its asking price having seen the amount of money that Liverpool paid for Roma’s Alisson. Courtois’ family also lives in Madrid, so from a family standpoint it makes sense. Plus Madrid's current goalkeeper Keylor Navas is seemingly error prone.

RUMOR RATING: 4.2/5

Eden Hazard | Chelsea to Real Madrid: Hazard finished second in voting for the Golden Ball at the World Cup with a string of impressive performances for Belgium. He is by far Chelsea’s star player, and without him, the team is nowhere near as good. The Blues will be looking to keep hold off their prized asset.

Real Madrid sold Cristiano Ronaldo, a left winger. Eden Hazard is a left winger. Real Madrid need to fill the gap at left wing. Logistically, it makes sense; Hazard himself has made it clear that he would want to move to Real Madrid should he leave Stamford Bridge. The transfer fee will prove to be the biggest stumbling block in this deal.

RUMOR RATING: 2.7/5

Nabil Fekir | Lyon to Liverpool: Scoring over 20 goals in all competitions last season, Fekir had a year to remember. He and Memphis Depay were the shining lights for Lyon, and it will be tough for the Ligue 1 side to fend off the vultures who want to try and take Fekir away. 

Liverpool are the main suitors for the Frenchman, and before the World Cup, a deal looked very likely. Nothing happened during the World Cup, but now that it’s over, it looks like Liverpool are coming back for him.

RUMOR RATING: 3.8/5

Toby Alderweireld | Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United: The Belgian center back was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s lineup for most of the second half of last season. No one seems to know why, but it could have pushed Alderweireld into the hands of another club. One of the Premier League’s best defenders, Tottenham would be silly to let him go.

Manchester United have a plethora of defenders right now, but Alderweireld would be a major upgrade on the current stock. Whether Mourinho pulls the trigger on the deal we don’t know, but if Alderweireld is to leave Tottenham, it’s likely he would become a Red Devil.

RUMOR RATING: 2.4/5

Emil Forsberg | RB Leipzig to Arsenal: The Swede was tipped by many, including us, to be one of the breakout stars at the World Cup. The Scandinavians made it all the way to the quarterfinals, but Sweden played in a system that didn’t really allow Forsberg to flourish. He had a career season in 2016-17, but didn’t capture that same form last year.

Do Arsenal need another player in the final third? Maybe. Is Forsberg the man for the job? Probably not. He’s a great player, but it doesn’t make too much sense for club or player.

RUMOR RATING: 1.9/5

Paul Pogba | Manchester United to Juventus: Pogba could return to the Old Lady, the club where he really forged his career. He had a difficult season at Manchester United — Mourinho never seemed to find the right position that would allow the Frenchman to play to his potential. Instead, he was often stuck as one of two holding midfielders, shackling Pogba’s attacking and box-to-box qualities.

Juventus just signed Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pogba would ideally love to play with one of the best players ever. But would Juventus have the funds, especially within the parameters of Financial Fair Play? It’s very, very unlikely that this happens.

RUMOR RATING: 0.7/5

Aleksandr Golovin | CSKA Moscow to AS Monaco (NOW CONFIRMED): Golovin was one of Russia’s best players at the World Cup, bagging two assists and a goal in its opening match as well as being a creative force in Russia’s other games. At 22, his best years are yet to come, so Golovin needs to be wise about where he decides to move (if he does). 

Monaco has a strong reputation for developing good players into great ones. It makes sense for Golovin to move to Monaco instead of Chelsea. He gets to flourish in a league where the fans won’t scrutinise him nearly as much as they would in the Premier League.

RUMOR RATING: 4.6/5

Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich to Arsenal: Coman has been a part of three of the best clubs in the world: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich. The 2017-18 season was one where Coman showed he could ball out, as he played in over 30 matches and notched plenty of goals and assists. Regarded as one of the best young players in the game, Coman has the world at his feet.

He signed a contract extension in December 2017, so the Frenchman will not come cheap. Arsenal seems to be synonymous with French players, and Coman would be an improvement on what they already have. Bayern don’t need to sell, and they won’t want to either.

RUMOR RATING: 1.9/5

Wilfried Zaha | Crystal Palace to Tottenham: Zaha was by far Palace's best player last season, contributing with goals, assists and numerous key dribbles for his side. He has been a Palace boy for many years, and has cemented Selhurst Park as his home with over 200 games for the team. At age 25, he still has plenty of quality years left, and he can definitely hang at a club bigger than Crystal Palace.

The team that Zaha is linked with, Tottenham, is probably his best option for moving to one of the bigger clubs. He moved to Manchester United in 2013, but barely played for the Red Devils and was loaned out multiple times. However, while Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino would be great for his development, Tottenham is stocked up on wingers right now, and Zaha would find it difficult to be in the starting lineup each week. Coupled with the ridiculous amount of money that Crystal Palace are asking, this move isn't going to come to fruition.

RUMOR RATING: 1.4/5

Kasper Schmeichel | Leicester City to Chelsea: Schmeichel has been a revelation in goal for both club and country. A solid season for Leicester followed by his heroics for Denmark at the 2018 World Cup shot him into the limelight, and he is doing himself plenty of favors in terms of gaining admirers. 

If other rumors are to be believed, then Chelsea will be looking for a new goalkeeper as Thibaut Courtois looks set to be moving to Real Madrid. Kasper Schmeichel would be a reasonably priced replacement, and is an exceptional goalkeeper who still has plenty of years at the top left in him. It all depends on the transfer of Courtois though.

RUMOR RATING: 3.9/5

Harry Maguire | Leicester City to Manchester United: Maguire was one of the best defenders at the World Cup, showing off his composure on the ball when playing it out from the back as well as proving to be a major aerial threat for the Three Lions on their famous set-pieces. 

His performances were of such a standard that Manchester United are now after the man that two seasons ago was lining up for Hull City. Manchester United have a lot of centre-backs at the moment: Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones to name four. Would Maguire be getting as much game time under Jose Mourinho as he does at Leicester Ciy? It's not likely he would be a starter for the Red Devils, but at $85m, they can easily afford him. 

RUMOR RATING: 3.6/5

Luka Modric | Real Madrid to Inter Milan: Modric was the star of the show at the 2018 World Cup, as he picked up the Golden Ball award for the best player at the tournament. He was an inspirational leader for Croatia, as he captained the side on their way to a first-ever berth in a World Cup final.

Modric is one of the best midfielders in the world, but is 32 years of age. He doesn’t have many years left at the peak of his game, and a move to the slightly-slower paced Serie A could suit him. Alongside that, a number of his Croatian compatriots - Ivan Perisic, Sime Vrsaljko and Marcelo Brozovic - all ply their trade for the Nerazzurri. The chance of this move coming off is bigger than you’d think.

RUMOR RATING: 3.9/5

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