The new season of European football is upon us, and some leagues such as the EPL have already given us a splendid weekend of football while others such as the Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A are set to commence this coming weekend. Real Madrid tackles Atletico in the UEFA Super Cup and would seek to win the competition for the third straight time.
The summer transfer window is an important aspect of any new season, as fans follow anxiously to see the new signings made by their club and how the players strengthens areas of weaknesses.
A lot of transfer activities have taken place in this window, and even though a new Premier League rule ensured that the transfer window closed in England on August 9, a day to the commencement of the new EPL season, the window is still very open in mainstream Europe, and other leagues are still following the traditional transfer deadline day of August 31.
The implication is that while Premier League clubs won't be able to buy players again in this window, their continental counterparts do not suffer the same restrictions, and can still dabble into the market for the next fortnight.
A lot of names are still bandied about as potential transfer targets, ensuring that a couple of major deals are still to be wrapped up in the next two weeks. Here are four transfers that could still happen before the August 31 deadline.
#4 Adrien Rabiot to Barcelona
The 23-year-old French midfielder has long been a target of Barcelona, with Blaugrana legend Xavi Hernandez even giving his blessing to the signing of the man long touted to be his replacement, saying Rabiot would be a perfect fit at Barcelona.
Rabiot, who was left out of Didier Deschamp's World Cup-winning squad has just one year left on his contract, and reportedly turned down a new contract renewal with the Paris club, paving the way for Barcelona to make a move.
With PSG coach Tomas Tuchel further raising the speculation by saying there was a possibility that Rabiot could leave the club, and with PSG's valuation of the player at €50m, the stage could be set for Adrian Rabiot to fulfill every young player's dream
#3 Danny Drinkwater going out on loan
The 28-year-old midfielder was signed in 2017 from Leicester for a fee of £35m, as The Blues sought him as a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Nemanja Matic, and saw it as an opportunity to reunite the midfield winning combo of Leicester's unlikely PL triumph in 2016 (alongside Kante).
However, despite the acrimonious circumstances surrounding his departure (Drinkwater submitted a transfer request to force through his Chelsea move), his first year at Chelsea was underwhelming, and with the new arrivals of Jorginho and Matteo Kovacic, as well as the seeming impressiveness of Sarri with Ross Barkley, Drinkwater would find himself moved further down the pecking order in Chelsea's midfield.
A loan move seems to be the decision taken by Maurizio Sarri. West Ham and Everton had earlier shown interest to take the Chelsea flop on loan on loan, but with the Premier League window now closed, it seems the pensioners would wait and offload him when a foreign club expresses interest.
#2 Paul Pogba to Barcelona
Paul Pogba arrived Manchester United in 2016 for a then-record fee of £89m, but since then has faced a lot of reprovals as he struggled for consistency.
He faced a lot of criticism from pundits over his luxurious lifestyle and nonchalant attitude on the pitch, and also had his commitment compared unfavorably with youngster Scott Mctominay by Jose Mourinho after he dropped the Frenchman for key Champions League fixtures against Sevilla.
The pair had earlier clashed on the touchline in a league defeat at Tottenham, where Pogba put in one of his worst performance in a United shirt.
Although rumors of a rift between the pair has constantly been shrugged off in public, and Pogba put in a match-winning performance in a come-from-behind victory over Manchester City, further headlines were made when Pogba posted cryptic messages after inspiring United to an opening day 2-1 victory over Leicester City suggesting all was not well within the United camp.
Barcelona reportedly had a sensational bid for Pogba turned down earlier in the summer, but with his super agent Mino Raiola keen on his client's transfer away from United, and with new reports emanating that Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has refused to rule out a move for Paul Pogba, it seems that the last has not been heard of this transfer saga.
#1 Luka Modric to Inter Milan
The 32-year-old Croatian international has been the standard bearer for midfielders over the last five seasons and has been a target of multiple bids from Inter Milan.
The Italian club is on a grande course to reclaim its lost place of pride among European elites, and have gone on an impressive transfer spree that has seen the Nerazzurri bring in a number of high profile signings, including midfield powerhouse Radja Nainngolan from Roma for £21m.
Inter Milan see Modric as the missing piece of the puzzle to complete their quest and have gone all out to get their man.
The World Cup Silver Ball winner captained his country to its best-ever finish at the World Cup, winning millions of admirers all over the world, and his performance has led his installation as a favorite to win individual awards. He is one of the best midfielders in the world and would undoubtedly strengthen the Inter team.
Despite being included in the Real Madrid team to face Atletico in the Super Cup on Wednesday, Luka Modric is believed to still be keen on a transfer to the San Siro, and with his agent further fueling the rumors, it seems like the time has come for Modric to call it quits on his trophy-laden Real Madrid career.