As the January transfer window opens, so the rumour mill begins – we’ve come to recognise that most stories will come to nothing, but what if the most sensational ones had all been true?
We’ve taken a look at some of the most exciting rumours from the past few years to see what some of England’s finest would look like if those attention-grabbing headlines had come to something more. Imagine…
Manchester United
Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mats Hummels
Not a bad way to start, eh? Let’s be honest, it’s a little surprising that with the vast wealth Manchester United have, none of these have happened. But then they do have Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic…
Gareth Bale was a classic target for rumours as he found his feet at Real Madrid, while Cristiano Ronaldo will quite possibly never NOT be linked with a move back to his old club.
With the presence of those two and Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels it’s very possible United would be a little higher than sixth in the league, although under Louis van Gaal’s tactics even CR7 would probably have struggled.
Manchester City
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Hector Bellerin
A big bag of bonus points to whoever can work out the connection between new Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and this group of La Masia graduates…
Yes, unsurprisingly when a super rich club hires a former Barcelona boss, the rumours become a little more Barca-based. Lionel Messi was something of a fantasy rumour, although Sergio Busquets and Hector Bellerin seemed altogether more believable, and could still happen.
City’s passing would undoubtedly become slicker, although Pep could probably just put Messi out with 10 reserves and he’d bring the PL trophy back to Manchester.
Chelsea
Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Edinson Cavani
Is it getting Chile in here? There’s something South American about Chelsea’s recent rumours, with Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez the latest from the continent to be linked with the Blues.
If Arsenal fail to win either the Premier League or, goodness, even the Champions League this season, those rumblings of a move elsewhere will surely only intensify.
Would Arturo Vidal or Edinson Cavani, rumours from a couple of years back, even get into Antonio Conte’s team ahead of Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante these days though?
Arsenal
Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Julian Draxler
Arguably the most consistent transfer rumour of all time – has there been a window where Karim Benzema hasn’t been linked with Arsenal?
Following closely behind is Julian Draxler, who recently moved to Paris St Germain, another player who will probably be linked with the Gunners until the day he retires, and even then, maybe for a few years more.
Let’s be honest though, a forward two of Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain sounds a bit sluggish. We’re sure Arsenal fans wouldn’t want Olivier Giroud edged onto the bench either.
Liverpool
Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski
Finally we come to Liverpool, and with them, round two of ‘guess the link between the transfer rumour and their new manager’!
Yes, former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp is now in charge at Anfield, and as such it’s no surprise the club have been linked with Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and former Dortmund man Robert Lewandowski.
The question is, would Liverpool fans swap Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane for the iconic former Dortmund trio?
