The only question becomes what to do with the war chest from Madrid for both he and Courtois this summer, because they ain't going to come cheap.

Yes, Hazard and Zidane have a good relationship and Hazard has said he would like to play for him but I do not see Real paying $200 euro plus for him when they have Isco locked up until 2022 and also Marco Asensio who can play in that role.

If they are going to drop that amount of money I think they would try and pry Harry Kane away from the Spurs.

Then again, nothing surprises me anymore after last summer. Real Madrid has been very frugal in the last two windows but they are due to recklessly throw around insane piles of cash.

Who can afford his wages and the transfer fee is very small. If not Real, I know there has been talk of PSG, but I just don't see how they do it an keep kosher with FFP.


The price for anyone else in the PL (Man U or Man City would be so exorbitant, and even then, they probably wouldn't do it).

That leaves Barca and Bayern who could theoretically afford his wages, and his transfer fee

Because I cannot see Bayern entering the 200 euro crazy pool. They may have the materials to do it but they just don’t seem to be the type of club who wants to enter the fray of that insanity,

Word out of Spain is that Barca is all in on Griezmann this summer which is perplexing given the insane amount they spent for Coutinho and Demebele. Would they also add Hazard? If so, they are also getting into FFP territory. It is crazy that Griezmann is a bargain at $100M.

I fully expect Real to flash the bling this summer. If they sell Bale to Man U my belief is they will tell Tottenham to name their price on Harry Kane. The thing is though they have to address the defense as Ramos will be 32 at the start of next season, They have also expressed interest in Griezmann. Throw in the World Cup and you have a great summer season ahead.

KHR and Uli have discussed how they may have to start paying higher transfer fees as they recognize the inflation, but I don't see them going well over 100M to sign an established world class player.

They may be most efficient club in Europe when it comes to transfers, so even if they start paying more they will continue to be smart about it. I'd love for them to steal Sane away from City to replace Franck on the left (giving them multiple Robbery replacement options) but Citeh will ask for a fortune and that won't happen.

to get in the highest level of spending but their common sense and frugality always win out which, to be honest, is a more sustainable and better operating model than what the top of the EPL and La Liga do.

I love Real but I do not want to spend 200+ million Euro for Kane and I do not care if he is the best striker in Europe. I would rather spend in the low 100s (crazy) for someone like Icardi and then put some money into the defense.

I also wonder how Bayern and Real will settle on James. I am thrilled he has had a positive year for Bayern. He definitely deserved the chance and at $30M to own him outright he is an all out bargain in this market.

They own the right to buy him outright at the completion of the loan. Total cost is something like 45M. What a crazy bargain - in part, it was payback for selling Kroos at a low price. RM and Bayern have a great working relationship.

Despite what many people think, the Bayern board have great relationships across Europe (particularly with Juve and RM, and within the BL) and it helps get deals done.

And yeah, paying 200M for Kane is absolutely nuts. Nobody has any idea how he'd blend into La Liga.

if Chelsea is out of Champions with a 5th place finish and Barcelona on the horizon. Hazard may be gone anyway.

On a side note, I wonder if the constant manager tumult at Chelsea is starting to wear thin on the players. I think it is tough to make the argument given their results but it seems like every other year there is some type of controversy in the manager's seat. If I was a player I would tire of it.