10 players who could leave in search of Champions League football

The draw of Champions League football is unlike anything football has to offer. Players spend their entire careers either craving to win it, or at least play in the competition. It is a desire which makes them go to great lengths - even forcing their way out of a club. There are a great many players out there who are at a level that would make them ideal for the Champions League. Here's a look at the 10 most promising ones, and those that are most likely to leave in pursuit of football's holy grail.

#1 Marco Reus

It would have been a hard enough task as it is to hold on to him in the summer when his release clause drops to €20 million. But trying to convince him to stay now without Champions League football would be a task even the Gods would shun.

Reus is a bona fide star of the game. His talent is exquisite and there are very few like him. He is truly a special player. What then could he lack for in terms of interest? Clubs like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have already made their interest known. With his release clause being such a paltry fee, he would have his pick of clubs to choose from.

With stars like Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski already gone, Jurgen Klopp will be hoping to convince him to stay for another season, but the manager himself will know that this is a fool's errand and the player is half out the door.

#2 Lars Bender

Bender was very close to joining Arsenal last summer, but Leverkusen's qualification for the Champions League deterred him from seeking a move elsewhere. This summer might test his ambition again, especially if Leverkusen fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Leverkusen are currently in a very tight battle for qualification with Schalke, Gladbach and Augsburg. Should things go awry, they might not be able to hold onto their star man. Bender is known to have quite a few admirers in Europe, with Arsene Wenger, in particular, being a very big fan. Barring Arsenal, he is known to have generated interest from the two Manchester clubs too.

Keep an eye out for him for he might just be next summer's big money transfer.

#3 Hugo Lloris

There aren't many goalkeepers in the world who share the same acclaim as the French number 1. It is a simple fact of the matter that the Spurs goalkeeper is one of the best in the world, certainly among the top five. But unfortunately for him, his club’s reputation doesn't quite match his own. He is the biggest fish in an absurdly medium sized pond.

Lloris joined Spurs with full knowledge of their reputation as perennial underachievers. He, along with Andre Vilas-Boas and several new recruits, thought they could spur Tottenham on to bigger things, but circumstances remain as grim as ever. Managers have come and gone and so have players, but Spurs look about as likely to qualify for the Champions League as they did when Lloris joined.

If they don't qualify this year, he is as good as gone, with rivals Arsenal and Liverpool said to be interested in his services.

#4 Ilkay Gundogan

This could be another arrow in Dortmund's heart. Their poor run of form will end up costing them dearly as their players seek pastures anew. One of the players who will be agitating for a move will be Ilkay Gundogan.

The German is one of the finer players in the Dortmund squad and was a key member in their run up to the Champions League final. His influence has been a little subdued of late, with injuries wreaking havoc on his game time, but he still remains one of the most influential players in the team.

Juventus and Arsenal have already sounded out their interest in him. More are expected to do so as the season nears its end. Midfielders like him are a dying breed and he should have a whole host of suitors to choose from by the time the season is done.

#5 Kevin Mirallas

The Belgian's time at the Merseyside club seems to be up. Everton's failure to build on last season has seen Mirallas shy away from signing a new contract and it could see him leave the club in the summer. Mirallas has built a sturdy reputation as a potent winger and could possibly find suitors from the lower echelons of the Champions League.

Everton seemed to have turned a corner under the guidance of new manager Roberto Martinez, but this season has brought back old memories of mid-table struggles. After providing a stern challenge to the Gunners for fourth place last season, a lot was expected of the Toffees. But unfortunately they have fallen to the wayside.

Players like Mirallas have grown disillusioned and are clamouring for a move away. MIrallas' contract with Everton expires in the summer of 2016, but the club will be keen on getting a fee for him as opposed to letting him go for free on a Bosman.

#6 Joao Moutinho

Bought during Monaco's renaissance period, his stay has not been as smooth as he would have expected after his transfer. After owner Dmitry Rybolovlev decided to cut his investment in the team, the squad has fallen into a despondent state, shorn of the stars that had followed his initial investment.

After the departures of James Rodrigues, Radamel Falcao, Eric Abidal and Emmanuel Rivière, Monaco have found themselves short of challenging for the title. And the subsequent rise of teams like Lyon and Marseille has left them in the lurch regarding their qualification for next year’s edition of the Champions League.

The only big name remaining at the club is Moutinho, and it won't take long for him to find himself another team. He has been a player of some reckoning for the good part of the last five years and his consistency will likely be rewarded with a move this summer.

#7 Mats Hummels

This season hasn't gone according to plan for the Dortmund captain. He returned to his club this summer as a World Cup champion and yet finds himself in the unenviable position of shouldering his beloved club in these pernicious times.

Dortmund are currently languishing at the bottom of the Bundesliga table – a bludgeoning fall from their previously lofty status as title contenders. It has been tough for Hummels, and the weight of being captain has prevented him from seeking an escape this season, but the summer may not be able to hold him from pursuing his ambitions elsewhere.

There isn't a shortage of suitors for a player of his ilk and experience and the charm of Dortmund and its supporters may no longer be enough to keep him at the Westfalenstadion.

#8 Moussa Sissoko

The French midfielder has grown to become an indomitable presence in the centre of the pitch since his move to Newcastle. His growing stardom is perhaps a tad too much for a club of Newcastle's stature.

Sissoko has been a great signing for the club and his consistent showings have already made him a national team regular, where he has also been providing stern competition to well established names like Blase Matuidi and Paul Pogba. Sissoko's stay with the Geordie club isn't going to be long as he has already started attracting attention from the top 4 EPL clubs.

He has already spoken about his dream of joining Arsenal. And with other big teams monitoring him, he may soon make a move, like his compatriot Yohan Cabaye, to a Champions League club.

#9 Saido Berahino

Every year, a new English striker comes along and toys with the fancies of English football fans about being the next sensation to follow in the steps of Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney. This year's striker is Saido Berahino.

Berahino doesn't possess the talent of a Raheem Sterling or even an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but nonetheless, he is a gifted goalscorer. Teams have begun to grow wary of his potential in front of goal and are starting to take notice of everything else he has to offer. He has the tools to make it big and his growing apathy towards his team suggests that he might not stay at West Brom for long.

Berahino wouldn't be an automatic starter for any Champions League club, but he might be worth a punt as one for the future. Champions League clubs have a tendency to stockpile young talent on the bench and Berahino might just find himself on one this coming summer.

#10 Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen has finally started to live up to the potential that was pompously exaggerated and feted by his managers and teammates alike. His performances have begun to reflect those of Gareth Bale or Luka Modric in their latter years at Tottenham. Such a prosperous return of goals and assists is unlikely to go unnoticed by any of the big teams.

Of late, Eriksen has made a habit of salvaging Spurs from despairing losses. It is a mark of a great player that can carry a team and this display of showmanship is likely to be rewarded with interest from Champions League teams.

Spurs, for all their promises of challenging for the Champions League, have fallen woefully short in recent times and it is unlikely that they will be able to convince Eriksen to stay with them for long, just as they did with Modric and Bale and Rafael van der Vaart.