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LONDON. — It had promised to be one of the most feverish summer transfer markets in several years, with blockbuster names moving all over the place and sagas galore.
But the tight grip of the coronavirus pandemic means we now don’t even know when the transfer window will be let alone whether Europe’s leading clubs have any money to spend.
What is clear is that no club, however wealthy, is immune from taking an enormous financial hit as a result of football’s almost total shutdown in recent weeks and months.
Deals worth tens of millions of pounds that looked highly likely to go through could now be on the scrapheap with no club entirely certain how far their shrinking budgets will get them. While it’s certainly true that the value of many players will fall as a result of these extraordinary times, it’s also fair to say that those players at the top of the game will retain their value.
But who can afford them now? Sportsmail takes a look at 10 potential transfers this summer that could now be scuppered by coronavirus.
KYLIAN MBAPPE — Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid
This looked like being the statement signing of the summer, a very impressive argument from Real Madrid that they wanted to return to the pinnacle of European football.
Mbappe, just 21, is Europe’s most prolific young goalscorer and already a World Cup winner and whoever bought him was assured of getting his best years.
Real are among the few clubs that could afford PSG’s asking price approaching £200 million but, according to reports last week, the move will be put on ice for 12 months until 2021. The Bernabeu club believe that Mbappe’s asking price will fall to around £130m by then as he will only have one year remaining on his contract and market values will dip generally.
So the virus could mean Mbappe having one final season with PSG before his mega-money move next year.
HARRY KANE —Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United or Real Madrid
A quite remarkable transfer possibility that has emerged in recent weeks with Tottenham letting Manchester United know their talismanic striker Harry Kane could be available.
It would take a transfer fee close to the world record of £200m to seal the deal and Spurs always drive a hard bargain, but United know they could be one world class centre forward away from a Premier League title challenge.
The Old Trafford club are also among the few who could afford such a transfer sum plus Kane’s salary but coronavirus will hit United as hard as anyone. — Mailonline.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter