adminLONDON. – There are clubs across Europe that look at players aged 30 and older with a general degree of scepticism.
Where is the value? Is there any resale ability? What are the chances of injury compared to a player in their prime?
But there are also those clubs that are desperate for the razzmatazz that established older players bring and right now there are a number of Europe’s elder statesmen that have tongues wagging on the continent.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the latest to cause a stir after the 37-year-old told Manchester United at the weekend that he wants to leave.
There is Robert Lewandowski, 33, at Bayern Munich that also wants out, desperately seeking a big final move to Barcelona.
And let’s not forget a 34-year-old Angel Di Maria appearing to play Juventus and Barcelona off against each other for his signature.
With all that in mind, Sportsmail looks at seven players over the age of 30 who have been the talk of the summer window so far…
l CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
Status: Off to Manchester United
Age: 30
Unlike a few others on this list, Eriksen appears to be edging ever closer to his next landing spot: Manchester United.
Eriksen verbally agreed in principle to join United as a free agent on Monday and he is now expected to finalise everything in time to fly out on their pre-season tour later this week.
Eriksen had been weighing up offers from United and Brentford – where he spent the second half of last season – but has decided to sign for United on a deal through until 2025.
l ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI
Status: Wants out of Bayern Munich
Age: 33
Part II in ‘player who makes it plain they want out’ series.
Lewandowski has been even more curt than Ronaldo when it comes to his next move. The Poland international has zero interest in ever playing for Bayern again, which may be why the German champions are the bookies’ favourites for Ronaldo.
Like Ronaldo, Lewandowski has 12 months left to run on his deal but he is growing antsy that his future continues to be unresolved as we stand a week away from when he is due to report back for Bayern Munich training.
Speaking prior to Poland’s Nations League clash with Wales earlier this month, Lewandowski, 33, left no room for doubt that his career with the German club was ‘over’.
‘My era at Bayern is over. I don’t see any possibility to continue playing for this club,’ he said.
‘Bayern’s a serious club and I believe they won’t keep me – I don’t want to play there any more.’
But since then, aside from the minutest of updates in the Spanish press, there has been little movement in any deal to take him to Barcelona. It is the equivalent of motorway gridlock.
l NEYMAR
Status: PSG offering him to clubs
Age: 30
Firstly, Neymar is on PSG’s books for years to come.
Unlike Ronaldo and Lewandowski, this is not a scenario that is down to its final 12 months and so compared to those two, this one feels more unlikely.
But all the noises out of France around the future of the Brazilian attacker are, in a word, ominous.
According to RMC Sport, PSG are keen to rebuild the squad without Neymar next campaign.
The French outlet previously claimed that the Brazilian, who arrived in Paris for a world-record transfer fee of £199.8m in 2017, has been told he is no longer wanted at the club next season as PSG pursue a fresh start, led by Kylian Mbappe following the ink drying on his new £650,000-a-week contract.
Neymar reportedly felt targeted by Al-Khelaifi earlier this summer as the club president spoke out to address PSG’s shortcomings last season.
l IVAN PERISIC
Status: Joined Tottenham
Age: 33
One more then and here is a player that, at the age of 33, will be getting his first taste of English football.
What a player Ivan Perisic has been through the years. Dortmund. Wolfsburg. Inter Milan. Bayern Munich on loan and now Tottenham.
While his signing seemed out of sorts from Spurs’ normal approach to the market, he seems a perfect addition under a coach like Antonio Conte. – Mailonline.
Online Reporter