Soccer Special: Odds on Players’ Next Club

Where Will Ronaldo, De Ligt and Lewandowski End Up?

As preseason gets started in European soccer, there’s still a lot of potential movement in the transfer window. We’re under a month away from the start of the season and managers will start to be more aggressive in improving their squads. So we’ll look at the odds on players next club and run through some of the candidates to switch teams.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has made his desire clear to play in the Champions League this season. Still one of the best soccer players in the world, Ronaldo would rather not play in the Europa League with Manchester United this season. He’s missed Man U’s preseason so far and was previously listed at even money odds to move to Chelsea. Ronaldo to Bayern Munich was also priced at +300 but Erik ten Hag has made it clear that he wants Ronaldo to stay.

Tammy Abraham

Reportedly, Tammy Abraham has an $80 million buyback clause in his Roma contract after leaving Chelsea last year. Abraham hit the ground running last season with 17 Serie A goals and a UEFA Conference League trophy. Jose Mourinho and Roma would certainly prefer he stay but a massive offer may be hard to turn down. Liverpool was priced as +250 favorites to sign him but they just signed Darwin Nunez. Both Newcastle United and Arsenal seem to be in the mix, as they were priced at +300 and +325, respectively.

Youri Tielemans

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has one year left on his contract and appears to be open to a move. He has reportedly agreed on personal terms with Arsenal but the Gunners seem to be focused on other targets at the moment. The odds on players’ next club had Arsenal as -115 favorites to sign the 2021 FA Cup winner. Manchester United, Tottenham, and Newcastle are also in the mix for his services.

Raphinha

This has been one of the most drawn-out transfer sagas of the Summer. The Leeds winger is one of the top soccer players on the market this Summer but the three-team race appears to be near its end. Barcelona were -400 favorites to sign Raphinha as of the end of last week and Raphinha apparently only wants them. Whether Barcelona has the financial capability to close the deal is another matter.

Matthijs De Ligt

Still only 22, Matthijs De Ligt is one of the most wanted defenders in European soccer. The race to sign him involves two major clubs. De Ligt to Bayern Munich sat at -120 last week, while Chelsea were +170 underdogs. Bayern has reportedly made an offer for the Dutch center back which could speed things up.

Neymar

Neymar is one of the world’s highest-paid players and PSG is one of the few clubs who can make that so. So, it comes as no surprise that they’re priced at -400 to keep him; however, new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly seems to be intrigued by the prospect of bringing him to Stamford Bridge. Manager Thomas Tuchel is reportedly not as eager and the Blues most recently sat at +250 odds to sign him.

Marcus Rashford

A forgotten man at Old Trafford last season, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is still just 24. He managed 20-plus goals in all competitions in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 but scored just five all of last season. Rashford appears to be in Erik ten Hag’s plans but the odds on players’ next club listed PSG and Tottenham at +400 and +600 to swoop in, respectively.

Marco Asensio

Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio managed his best-ever La Liga goal haul last season, with 10. He’s been linked with a move away this Summer and AC Milan seemed to be in pole position, at -150 odds last week. Liverpool, Tottenham, and Arsenal could all be tempted to make a move as well.

Declan Rice

Since longtime Hammer Mark Noble retired, Declan Rice figures to be West Ham’s captain next season. That is, if he stays at the club. One of the most promising midfielders in Europe, Rice has been linked with Chelsea over the last few seasons. He sat at -275 odds to stay, +180 to sign with Chelsea, and +400 to bolster Manchester United’s struggling midfield.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Oleksandr Zinchenko may feel he has the ability to reach his potential away from Manchester City. Zinchenko is incredibly technically gifted and plays in the center of the park for Ukraine but Pep Guardiola deploys him as a left-back. He could end up playing under legendary midfielder Frank Lampard at Everton next season. The Toffees were priced at +150 odds to sign him while Arsenal was in the mix at +350.

Robert Lewandowski

Last but certainly not least, Robert Lewandowski has made his desire clear to play for Barcelona. Bayern Munich is determined to keep their record-shattering striker at the Allianz Stadium for one more season. Although, FCB sat at -450 odds to pry him away as recently as last Friday.