Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United could sign, according to Transfermarkt head of content Gonçalo Tristão Santos.
“There are big clubs going through a difficult period this season and who could benefit from the reopening of the transfer window. Now, UEFA’s financial fair play rules and the specifics of this winter could condition their actions. We know already that summer is always the best time to sign more cautiously, without being too desperate“, declared to Lusa one of the members of the portal specializing in Football transactions.
One semester after having enriched its list of galactics with the free acquisition of Kylian Mbappéstar striker of Paris Saint-Germaintriple champion of France, during the previous seven seasons, the Real Madrid occupies second place in La Liga, one point behind the leader, l’Atlético de Madridand is 20th in the standings two days before the end of the renovated championship phase of the Champions League.
“The club has been very surgical in its recruitments in recent years, but (president) Florentino Pérez has not really acquired many players. You never know if he will not take advantage of this transfer window to make adjustments, not only because Real Madrid disappoints in the Champions League, but also because the fight with FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid for the Spanish championship is tight“, he analyzes.
THE Meringues are far from the eight directly qualifying places for the knockout stages of the Champions League, just like Manchester Citywhich occupies 22nd place in the championship stage, the final two-way play-off between clubs from 9th to 24th place, while the other 12 are left out.
“Manchester City has enormous investment capacity and will be able to do so in January. The team of Rúben Dias, Matheus Nunes and Bernardo Silva are fifth in the English league and have won just two of their last 14 matches in all competitions“.
Le rival Manchester United14th in the Premier League, have lost four of their last five matches.
“Not only do we need quality, because the team does not have the level required for a club of this size, but above all we need players who correspond to the ideas of the new coach“, he underlines, while the Red Devils are still seventh in the group stage of the Europa League, which gives them direct access to the round of 16.
In the main European championships, the transfer window extends until the transition from January to February and opens a second registration period in the middle of the season, but clubs “are generally more reluctant when it comes to selling their most coveted players, as they do not want to risk compromising the goals they have set for themselves“.
“This winter may be a little different in 2025, because there will be a World Cup in the summer. If clubs want to bet on a victory in the competition, this will be the last big opportunity to invest“, declared Gonçalo Tristão Santos.
Contested every year since 2005 by the six continental champions, plus a team from the host country, the World Cup will become a quadrennial event from 2025, at the end of the European season, and will take place from June 15 to July 13 in the United States. -United.
“It’s a very short period. They won’t be able to make big recruitments and I don’t think there will be many at that time, because there will be little time to work“, he warned.
For now, Gonçalo Tristão Santos recalls that several players will enter the last six months of their respective contracts from Wednesday and could sign up with other clubs for 2025/26, in a batch led by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk et Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Leroy Sané and Heung-min Son.
“They are very interesting footballers, some are already veterans, others still have potential. I don’t think they will be released at this point, but if both parties involved assume there is no agreement on a contract renewal, there could be a sale even at a low price in January, so that the club which owns the player’s pass can still make a minimally interesting profit“.
