Transfer notebook: What are Chelsea’s rivals going to do in the next transfer window?

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world, football is at best a secondary concern. However, even in these dire times, clubs are looking at the future optimistically, planning for a time when life will be normal and football will be back again. Foundations for future transfer moves are being laid in the background — or at least talked about in the story-hungry media. And so, here is our guide to what some clubs are planning to do in the next calciomercato ... whenever that may be.

N.B. UEFA have suspended FFP accounting for 2020-21, which could lead to even more unbalanced spending around Europe when football does resume.

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Real Madrid

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, defensive midfield, central midfield, right wing, centre forward

Players of interest: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alphonse Areola, Kalidou Koulibaly, Milan Škriniar, Matthijs de Ligt, Diego Carlos, Dayot Upamecano, Mohamed Salisu, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Fabian Ruiz, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté, Donny van de Beek, Igor Gomes, Kylian Mbappé, Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mané, Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres, Jadon Sancho, Erling Braut Håland, Lautaro Martinez, Raúl Jimenez, Leroy Sané, Timo Werner, Ryan Cherki, Amine Gouiri, Kai Havertz

Potential outgoing: Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Daniel Carvajal, Alvaro Odriozola, Marcelo, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, James Rodriguez, Isco, Vinícius Junior, Lucas Vasquez, Gareth Bale, Mariano Diaz, Luka Jović

Despite Real Madrid’s massive investment last summer, performances have not been up to the levels expected. While their defensive signings have been decent, their attacking signings like Eden Hazard, Rodrygo Goes and Luka Jovic have been subpar.

Real Madrid will look to sign a new centre forward to supplement Karim Benzema, and Erling Håland is reportedly the favorite for the role. They will also try to sign a world class right-sided forward like Mbappe or Salah to complement Hazard, but that is not a priority.

In midfield, owing to Modric and Kroos’ uncertain futures, Los Blancos are looking at a host of names like Paul Pogba, Fabian Ruiz, Donny van de Beek and the extremely talented Eduardo Camavinga. In defense, Real will try to upgrade on Nacho with someone like Diego Carlos or Milan Skriniar while Sergio Ramos and Marcelo’s futures are also uncertain.

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Barcelona

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, left back, central midfield, left wing, centre forward

Players of interest: André Onana, Jan Vertonghen, Dayot Upamecano, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pau Torres, Layvin Kurzawa, Emerson Palmieri, Alex Telles, Igor Gomes, Jadon Sancho, Lautaro Martinez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Aymeric Laporte, Neymar, Ferran Torres, Kai Havertz, Luiz Felipe, Leroy Sané, Angelino, Timo Werner, Douglas Costa, Bernardo Silva, Adama Traoré, Carl Rushworth, Federico Bernardeschi, Tanguy Ndombele, Tanguy Kouassi

Potential outgoing: Marc-André ter Stegen, Samuel Umtiti, Junior Firpo, Nelson Semedo, Ivan Rakitić, Arturo Vidal, Carles Alena, Antoine Griezmann, Arda Turan, Martin Braithwaite, Philippe Coutinho, Marc Cucurella, Rafinha, Jean Clair-Todibo

Barcelona’s priority in the transfer window will be to facilitate the necessary conditions for the return of the prodigal son, Neymar. Barcelona are willing to even part with star players like Antoine Griezmann to finance the deal. The Blaugrana will also look to bring in another center forward to compete with Luis Suárez, with Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez the primary target, though financial constraints could mean that a move for both Neymar and Lautaro may not be possible.

In midfield, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitić are close to departing the club, so there may be some replacements coming in, as well as an opportunity for Carles Alena to step up. Barcelona would also like to upgrade their defence by offloading their non-performing or constantly-injured players, so Samuel Umtiti and Junior Firpo may be replaced with the likes of Dayot Upamecano and Alex Telles, respectively. While Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s contract situation hasn’t been sorted yet, it’s widely expected that the goalkeeper will extend his stay with the club.

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Borussia Dortmund

Positions that may be strengthened: Right back, attacking midfield, right wing, centre forward

Players of interest: Jonathan David, Jude Bellingham, Thomas Meunier, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferran Torres, Alexander Isak, Emmanuel Dennis

Potential outgoing: Lukasz Piszczek, Mario Götze, Julian Brandt, Raphaël Guerreiro, Jadon Sancho, Erling Braut Håland, Andre Schürrle, Marius Wolf, Omer Toprak, Jeremy Toljan

As in previous seasons, BVB’s primary focus will be to replace any star players who may decide to leave. Håland has been linked to Real Madrid and Sancho to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, so Dortmund might move for players like Ferran Torres and Alexander Isak to replace them. Julian Brandt hasn’t made an impact since his arrival, so he could also be replaced by someone like Jude Bellingham.

One position where BVB will definitely need to buy a player is right back because of the imminent departures of both Achraf Hakimi and Lukasz Piszczek, leaving youngster Mateu Morey as the only natural at the position. There are strong rumors that Thomas Meunier, whose contract with PSG expires in 2020, has agreed a deal with Dortmund and will be their new starting right back. Emre Can, who’s currently on loan, has already agreed a permanent transfer to stay, which will become official when the next season starts.

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Tottenham

Positions that may be strengthened: Goalkeeper, centre back, right back, attacking midfield, right wing, centre forward

Players of interest: André Onana, Dean Henderson, Ben Foster, Thomas Strakosha, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Dejan Lovren, Diego Godin, Chris Smalling, Olivier Giroud, Willian, Youcef Atal, Jamal Lewis, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Marcel Sabitzer, Philippe Coutinho, Victor Osimhen, Todd Cantwell, Ollie Watkins, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Serhou Guirassy, Cengiz Under, Rafael Camacho, Nathan Ferguson, Ted Smith, Eberechi Eze, Adam Lallana

Potential outgoing: Hugo Lloris, Michel Vorm, Jan Vertonghen, Juan Foyth, Serge Aurier, Tanguy Ndombele, Erik Lamela, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker-Peters

Tottenham have a number of issues to address in the upcoming window in order to tailor the squad to José Mourinho’s needs and also to make up for impending departures.

Hugo Lloris is not the same as he once was, and rumors about goalkeepers like Dean Henderson and Thomas Strakosha could mean that Spurs are looking for a new man between the posts. At centre back, Vertonghen is leaving and Foyth’s been a disappointment, so a new signing is expected. Mourinho will also be hoping to improve upon Aurier and Lamela at right back and right wing, respectively, while Christian Eriksen’s January departure means that a move for an attacking midfielder may also be on the cards to add creativity to the team.

However, the biggest focus for Spurs would be to find a deputy for Harry Kane seeing how his injury issues have been cataclysmic for the team’s ambitions in recent times.

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Arsenal

Positions that may be strengthened: Goalkeeper, centre back, left back, central midfield, attacking midfield, centre forward

Players of interest: Freddie Woodman, Ben White, Daley Blind, Pau Torres, Jonathan Tah, Issa Diop, Chris Smalling, Dayot Upamecano, Dejan Lovren, Samuel Umtiti, Anis Ben Slimane, Diogo Jota, Carlos Soler, Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Luka Jovic, Victor Osimhen, Raul Jimenez, Ryan Fraser, Evan Ndicka, Odsonne Edouard, Orkun Kokcu, Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos, Layvin Kurzawa, Jonathan David, Florian Grillitsch, James Maddison, Said Benrahma, Thomas Lemar, James Rodriguez, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares, Dani Ceballos, Marc Roca, Jesse Lingard, Adam Lallana

Potential outgoing: Emiliano Martinez, Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers, Bukayo Saka, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Eddie Nketiah, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mohamed Elneny

Arsenal’s focus this summer will be at centre back and centre forward.

Mustafi and Sokratis are likely to leave which has lead the Gunners to start looking at names like Dayot Upamecano, Samuel Umtiti and Issa Diop to strengthen a position that ... boasts ... players like David Luiz, William Saliba, Rob Holding and an on-loan Pablo Mari. At centre forward, Aubameyang’s departure will leave a large void that will need to be filled and Odsonne Edouard and Victor Osimhen are two players who have been primed to take over.

Sead Kolasinac is also likely to leave so a search for a new left back should occur, while a new attacking midfielder might come in if Arsenal do manage to offload Mesut Özil. The futures of on-loan players Cedric Soares and Dani Ceballos are also unclear, but the latter is more likely to continue his career elsewhere leading Arsenal to make a move for Marc Roca or Carlos Soler.

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Manchester United

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, defensive midfield, central midfield/attacking midfield, right wing, centre forward

Players of interest: Mohammed Salisu, Diego Godin, Samuel Umtiti, Jadon Sancho, James Maddison, Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Eduardo Camavinga, Kalidou Koulibaly, Aaron Ramsey, Diogo Jota, Aubameyang, Harry Kane, Raul Jimenez, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele, Odion Ighalo, Jude Bellingham, Philippe Coutinho, Thomas Lemar, Timo Werner, Victor Osimhen, Donny van de Beek, Denis Zakaria, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Nathan Collins, Jonathan David, Todd Cantwell, Bukayo Sako, Harry Winks, Matthijs de Ligt, Edinson Cavani, Kai Havertz, Erling Braut Haaland, Saul Niguez

Potential outgoing: Sergio Romero, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Timothy-Fosu Mensah, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Andreas Pereira, Jesse Lingard, Chris Smalling, Alexis Sanchez, Marcos Rojo

Contrary to popular belief, Manchester United are not in need of a large overhaul of their squad.

There’s a strong chance that Odion Ighalo will sign permanently for the Red Devils, which automatically sorts out one position. At right wing, United will look for a big-name signing like Jadon Sancho to form a dangerous trident with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.

Signings will also be needed to replace Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić in midfield while they are also looking for a centre back to partner Harry Maguire. Kalidou Koulibaly, Diego Godin and Mohammed Salisu have all been named as possible targets for that position.

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Juventus

Positions that may be strengthened: Goalkeeper, left back, defensive midfield, central midfield, right wing/left wing, centre forward

Players of interest: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marcelo, Emerson Palmieri, Alex Telles, Achraf Hakimi, Paul Pogba, Sandro Tonali, Mauro Icardi, Federico Chiesa, Ferran Torres, Houssem Aouar, Philippe Coutinho, Jorginho, Kaio Jorge, Timo Werner, Harry Kane, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ivan Rakitic, Nicolo Zaniolo, Thiago Alcantara, Jude Bellingham, Riccardo Orsolini, Willian, Kai Havertz, Marco Verratti

Potential outgoing: Wojciech Szczesny, Daniele Rugani, Matthijs de Ligt, Mattia De Sciglio, Miralem Pjanic, Aaron Ramsey, Sami Khedira, Federico Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa, Gonzalo Higuain, Mattia Perin, Marko Pjaca

Juventus’ primary focus during this window will be on their midfield.

Emre Can has already left the club, and Miralem Pjanić, Sami Khedira and Aaron Ramsey could all soon follow suit. The Old Lady are looking for a galactico-tier midfielder who can complement their attack with Paul Pogba, Houssem Aouar and Kai Havertz all on the radar. They also want someone who specializes in the regista position with Sandro Tonali being the primary target along with alternatives like Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Thiago Alcantara.

Juventus have also looked at Real Madrid’s Marcelo and Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri to provide competition at left back, but could look to promote Luca Pellegrini instead as well. Gonzalo Higuaín’s impending departure has led Juve to look at a host of names, from Mauro Icardi to Gabriel Jesus and Timo Werner. Even though Juventus did sign Dejan Kulusevski for the summer (or whenever the season resumes), they could look to sign another right winger like Ferran Torres, Federico Chiesa or Ricardo Orsolini if Douglas Costa or Federico Bernardeschi or both were to leave.

While GK Wojciech Szczesny did sign a new long-term contract recently, Juve could move him on if they manage to acquire Marc-Andre ter Stegen or Gianluigi Donnarumma.

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Manchester City

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, left back, right back, central midfield/attacking midfield, left wing

Players of interest: Kalidou Koulibaly, Edson Alvarez, Lisandro Martinez, Caglar Soyuncu, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Pau Torres, Unai Nunez, Dayot Upamecano, Milan Skriniar, Isco, Fabian Ruiz, Lautaro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, David Alaba, Ben Chilwell, Houssem Aouar, Timo Werner, Samuel Chukwueze, Mikel Oyarzabal, Kai Havertz, Thiago Almada, Antonio Marin

Potential outgoing: Claudio Bravo, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Benjamin Mendy, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo, David Silva, Leroy Sane, Angelino, Pedro Porro

Centre back is the most important area of need for Manchester City with only Aymeric Laporte assured of a future at the Etihad past this season. Names like Nathan Aké, Ruben Dias, Unai Nunez, Caglar Soyuncu and Milan Škriniar have all been mooted, with two new centre backs likely to be bought in the next transfer window. Joao Cancelo’s poor form and Ben Mendy’s constant injuries may mean that a new left back and a new right back might be signed.

In midfield, there will be big boots to fill after David Silva’s departure and the likes of Fabian Ruiz and Houssem Aouar have been touted to take over the job. Leroy Sane’s potential departure to Bayern Munich will create the need for a new left winger and while Mikel Oyarzabal is thought to be the primary target, City could also look towards alternative cheaper options like Thiago Almada or Antonio Marin.

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Atlético Madrid

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, right back, left back, central midfield, left wing, right wing, centre forward

Players of interest: Diogo Jota, Dries Mertens, James Rodriguez, Issa Diop, Mohammed Salisu, Alfredo Morelos, Ivan Rakitic, Hirving Lozano, Alexandre Lacazette, Edinson Cavani, Marc Cucurella, Jesse Lingard, Charles Aranguiz

Potential outgoing: Jose Maria Gimenez, Santiago Arias, Sime Vrsaljko, Hector Herrera, Thomas Partey, Thomas Lemar, Diego Costa, Vitolo, Nikola Kalinic

Atlético will be concerned with the prospect of losing their best defender, José Gimenez in the summer, especially with their many additional problems elsewhere in the lineup.

Both the fullback positions need reinforcements and Los Colchoneros are also looking to add a bit of work-rate to their midfield with the potential acquisition of Ivan Rakitic or Charles Aranguiz.

On the wings, it will be a coup if Atlético do manage to get James Rodríguez on board as planned, but the main concern will be at centre forward. Numerous names like Dries Mertens, Alfredo Morelos and Alexandre Lacazette have been looked at to replace Diego Costa, who has declined sharply since his return from Chelsea.

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Lazio

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, right wingback, left wingback, central midfield, centre forward

Players of interest: Pedro, Olivier Giroud, Giacomo Bonaventura, Dejan Lovren, Ianis Hagi, Memphis Depay, Adam Lallana, Gonzalo Escalante, Nacho, Aleksandr Kokorin

Potential outgoing: Thomas Strakosha, Luiz Felipe, Bastos, Francesco Acerbi, Adam Marusic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Lazio are expected to have a quiet window due to budget constraints.

However, they could potentially move for big-name targets like Memphis Depay should some of their star players like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic depart in big-money deals.

Other than that, the Biancolesti are focusing on the free agent market, with interest in players like Pedro, Olivier Giroud and Giacomo Bonaventura. They will also look towards signing a centre back should Luiz Felipe, Bastos or Francesco Acerbi depart with Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren being a long-term target.

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Inter Milan

Positions that may be strengthened: Goalkeeper, Centre back, left wingback, right wingback, central midfield, centre forward

Players of interest: Alex Meret, Juan Musso, Luis Maximiano, Jan Vertonghen, Marash Kumbulla, Victor Moses, Emerson Palmieri, Marcos Alonso, Robin Gosens, Olivier Giroud, Aubameyang, Dries Mertens, Arturo Vidal, Arkadiusz Milik, Sandro Tonali, Evan Ndicka, Corentin Tolisso, Ivan Rakitic, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Joao Cancelo, Rodrigo De Paul, Timo Werner, Gabriele Zappa, Matty Longstaff, Mario Gotze, Jean Clair-Todibo, Carles Alena, Stefano Sensi, Federico Chiesa

Potential outgoing: Diego Godin, Andrea Ranocchia, Matias Vecino, Roberto Gagliardini, Borja Valero, Kwadwo Asamoah, Lautaro Martinez, Mauro Icardi, Ivan Perisic, Radja Nainggolan, Valentino Lazaro, Joao Mario, Dalbert

Despite signing a gazillion players in the last two transfer windows, Inter Milan’s squad is apparently still not tailored to Antonio Conte’s liking.

A departure for Diego Godín is expected, so a new centre back is on the priority list, with Marash Kumbulla being a name that is constantly linked. A permanent deal for Nicolò Barella will go through when the transfer window opens and Stefano Sensi as well as Victor Moses also likely to be permanently acquired.

Other than that, Inter are looking to sign players for the left wing-back and centre forward positions (more than one if Lautaro Martinez leaves), along with a box-to-box midfielder. Arturo Vidal, Aubameyang, Olivier Giroud, Dries Mertens, Marcos Alonso are the likeliest players to be signed while Barcelona may also offer some of their players like Jean-Clair Todibo, Carles Alena and/or Nelson Semedo should they try to sign Lautaro Martinez.

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PSG

Positions that may be strengthened: Goalkeeper, centre back, right back, left back, attacking midfield, centre forward

Players of interest: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Andre Onana, Dean Henderson, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Kalidou Koulibaly, Alex Telles, Alex Sandro, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Miralem Pjanic, Mattia De Sciglio, Lucas Paqueta, Antoine Griezmann, Aubameyang, Paulo Dybala, Houssem Aouar, Mauro Icardi, Allan, N’golo Kante, Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Tanguy Ndombele, Adam Marusic, Timo Werner, Jadon Sancho

Potential outgoing: Keylor Navas, Tanguy Kouassi, Thiago Silva, Layvin Kurzawa, Thomas Meunier, Leandro Paredes, Julian Draxler, Adil Aouchiche, Neymar, Edinson Cavani, Choupo-Moting, Alphonse Areola, Jese

PSG’s transfer window in a large way will be dictated by Neymar’s decision to stay or leave.

With Thiago Silva almost out the exit door, Le Parisiens have prioritized a move for Kalidou Koulibaly. Adam Marusic and Mattia De Sciglio are being touted as the men to replace Thomas Meunier, who will leave as a free agent and one of Alex Sandro or Alex Telles might replace Layvin Kurzawa.

Further up the pitch, Miralem Pjanić, Lucas Paqueta and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the primary midfield targets. A departure for Neymar may see Antoine Griezmann being sent the other way while Aubameyang could arrive to reinforce the CF position.

There are also whispers that Mauro Icardi could be bought and then sold to Juventus for a higher fee, while PSG will also look to sign youngsters Adil Aouchiche and Tanguy Kouassi on new long-term deals, who will otherwise leave for free. Keylor Navas’ future is uncertain because of his age and PSG could look towards Dean Henderson or Andre Onana for the position of starting GK (sorry Bulka!).

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Liverpool

Positions that may be strengthened: Goalkeeper, centre back, left back, central midfield, right wing

Players of interest: Thomas Strakosha, Ferran Torres, Timo Werner, Ben White, Evan Ndicka, Malick Thiaw, Jose Maria Gimenez, Denis Zakaria, Todd Cantwell, Christian Fruchtl, Milot Rashica, Bukayo Sako, Gabriel Martinelli, Samuel Chukwueze, Kai Havertz, Fabian Ruiz, Thomas Partey, Eduardo Camavinga, Viktor Tsygankov, Adama Traore

Potential outgoing: Adrian, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne, Naby Keita, Adam Lallana, Xherdan Shaqiri, Harry Wilson, Marko Grujic, Loris Karius

Liverpool will not look towards too many big-name signings but will instead look to incrementally keep improving the squad in whatever small ways they can.

Signings are expected to fill the roles that could be vacated by Dejan Lovren and Adrián, should they depart, with a potential big-name signing for the right wing because of Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane’s AFCON commitments, (which could now change because of the COVID-19 pandemic) and because of Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri’s likely departures.

There are also rumors that Naby Keita could leave the club which might lead to Liverpool looking towards Denis Zakaria or Eduardo Camavinga, or even Fabian Ruiz.

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Bayern Munich

Positions that may be strengthened: Centre back, right back, central midfield, attacking midfield, left wing, centre forward

Players of interest: Leroy Sane, Pepe, Dayot Upamecano, Luiz Felipe, Kai Havertz, Toni Kroos, Fabian Ruiz, Thomas Meunier, Timo Werner, Sergino Dest, Achraf Hakimi, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, Roberto Firmino, Ivan Perisic, Jonathan David, Viktor Tsygankov

Potential outgoing: Christian Fruchtl, David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez, Corentin Tolisso, Michael Cuisance, Adrien Fein

Bayern Munich will be looking for a centre back because of Jerome Boateng and David Alaba’s (who plays as a CB these days) uncertain futures. Dayot Upamecano and Luiz Felipe are the names linked for the position, while Joshua Kimmich’s move to defensive midfield has created a need for another right back. Sergino Dest and Thomas Meunier are the players who might be signed for that position with Ajax even rejecting a bid from Bayern for the former a few weeks back.

Bayern will forego the buy-option on Philippe Coutinho’s loan deal and will instead focus on signing the younger Kai Havertz. Leroy Sane’s move to Bayern seems unlikelier than before, but Bayern do have alternate names like Pepe of Gremio, Jonathan David of Gent and Viktor Tsygankov of Dynamo Kyiv who they might target.

There are also links to Toni Kroos and Roberto Firmino, and while they do seem unlikely, anything can happen in the calciomercato as always!