It’s a rumor that’s been circulating since last September, when Ronaldinho left Brazilian side Fluminense and became a free agent: would he take the millions on offer in China? Would he become another poster child, albeit a 36-year-old one, for MLS? Wherever he ended up, it was a guarantee that he’d ignite a fan base, sell thousands of tickets and jerseys, and delight with his non-diminishing levels of skill.
It’s all done and dusted with Neymar penning an improved deal to keep him at Barcelona until 2021, but just imagine what could’ve been. According to Neymar’s agent, Wagner Ribeiro, the 24-year-old Brazilian captain came exceptionally close to joining either Manchester United or PSG over the summer.
Rumors have circulated the entire summer about James Rodriguez and his possible future away from the Spanish capital. To date, both Zinedine Zidane and Rodriguez's agent, Jorge Mendes (and even the player himself), have said that James Rodriguez will be staying at Real Madrid. However, that has never stopped any transfer deals from happening, especially last-minute ones. At this point, our opinion is that he will stay at Real Madrid for three reasons:
We interrupt your reading of Christian Pulisic transfer rumors to bring you another Christian Pulisic transfer rumor.
This one brought to you courtesy of Liverpool, who are coached by former Borussia Dortmund manager (who was manager when Dortmund signed Pulisic) Jurgen Klopp.
Take this with a grain of salt, no, take this with a mountain made of salt: Stoke City have reportedly offered Borussia Dortmund $22 million for 17-year-old American midfielder Christian Pulisic.
For many, Bastian Schweinsteiger will always be synonymous with the new German side that dazzled at the 2006 World Cup with childlike enthusiasm. The 21-year-old's performance, along with the likes of Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski, foreshadowed a period of German brilliance that would reach its zenith at the 2014 World Cup.
Having watched Moussa Sissoko appear, and even using that word is a stretch, for Newcastle United on 37 different occasions in the Premier League last season, you could say that his performances for France at the European Championship left me feeling a little salty.
Billed as a box-to-box midfield engine that can grab games by the scruff of the neck, which he’s done on a couple of occasions on Tyneside, his abject performances for the Toon throughout 2015-16 made his Euro something like a slap in the face to Newcastle fans.
The transfer saga involving Paul Pogba and Manchester United has become unbearable. It’s been going on for so long that Adidas has had time to spin it into a marketing campaign. It's been going on for so long that Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, is now the Ballon d'Or favorite.
It’s the question that has plagued Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane throughout his time in charge of the club: What’s the deal with James Rodriguez? Does the French coach even rate the Colombian playmaker?
Following a season in which James only appeared in 26 La Liga games for the club, his lowest total since arriving in 2014, would James be shown the door this summer? The player has continued to excel for Colombia on international duty, where he's the focal point of the attack, but he's taken a back seat in Zidane's preferred 4-3-3 formation at Real.
One of the major stories of the past week, providing guffaws and giggles around the world, has been new Sunderland manager David Moyes’ pursuit of Marouane Fellaini. Having brought the Belgian midfielder to Everton from Standard Liege, Moyes infamously reunited with Fellaini for his short-lived stint in charge of Manchester United.