This summer is going to be different in the transfer market. Players being involved as part payment is likely to be something we’ll see more of, and free transfers will take on a stronger value.
Italian clubs have been pretty good at this in recent years, and will likely be so again, but stronger competition is expected from the Premier League and elsewhere.
Take Thomas Meunier as an example. Despite both AC Milan and Inter Milan being keen, Gazzetta dello Sport believe Tottenham have a greater chance of signing the PSG player.
Spurs are put at 50%, with Borussia Dortmund at 30%, and the Milan clubs getting 10% each.
Meunier has been linked with a move to Tottenham for some months, and it’s thought Jose Mourinho is keen on the deal. The 28 year old right back sees his contract with PSG expire at the end of June, and there’s still no sign of a renewal.
As far as the French media have it, the player’s priority is to stay at PSG, if they offer him a reasonable deal.
Tottenham could swoop in the absence of one, and Meunier has hinted about a Premier League move on several occasions. He’s a Manchester United supporter, and that would have been his first choice, but the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka scuppered that chance.