Today’s Mill is jam-packed with players poised to swap the continent for Britain, and vice versa. That could all change after Brexit – with some reports suggesting Premier League sides would be restricted to just 12 (twelve!) overseas players. If it comes to pass, we can surely expect plenty of last-ditch passport applications and searches for British grandparents.
One man who could be boarding the last plane out of Luton is Aaron Ramsey. Milan have been linked with everyone from Arsène Wenger to Gunnersaurus since boardroom big cheese Ivan Gazidis rocked up at the San Siro, but with the Welsh midfielder out of contract in the summer, this could be a goer. Milan also like the look of Southampton’s Manolo Gabbiadini while Arsenal, who haven’t read the Brexit memo, want Lille’s Nicolas Pépé to cover for the crocked Danny Welbeck.
Another out-of-contract player who could be off to the continent is Nick Powell. The former Manchester United man, now pulling the strings at Wigan, is attracting interest from RB Leipzig. Loris Karius, meanwhile, has ventured to the very edge of Europe with Besiktas – and the Turkish giants want him to stick around. “Karius is an excellent keeper. God willing, we will sign him permanently,” director Fikret Orman said, as Karius haplessly juggled a pen behind him.
The only thing Chelsea will be sending to Europe this year is an exceptionally large bank transfer, with Antonio Conte happy to take this season off and trouser an £11m payout. Conte had been linked with Real Madrid, who have instead handed caretaker Santiago Solari the keys for the season. Solari will bring forward the arrival of Santos tyro Rodrygo, and he also likes the jib-cut of Espanyol centre-back Mario Hermoso.
Staying in La Liga, and Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt’s path to Barcelona is being smoothed over by none other than his national coach, Ronald Koeman. “I think it’s clear that a player like Matthijs, in a certain moment, decides to make a step to a bigger league,” Koeman coaxed. Barcelona could help cover the £50m cost by offloading Arturo Vidal to Juventus.
Manchester United’s search for a competent central midfielder will lead them to Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini, while in news the Mill has heard before, Porto’s Yacine Brahimi is wanted by Everton, West Ham and Newcastle. Finally, Dani Alves insists he will play in the Premier League before he retires, after choosing PSG over Manchester City in 2017. He had better get a move on.