Football Features

10 done deals you might have missed this week

By Mohamed Moallim

Published: 11:29, 21 July 2019

Transfer business is well and truly picking up with clubs either playing their first competitive games or in the final stages of preparations for the new season.

In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen two protracted sagas come to an end with Antoine Griezmann and Matthijs de Ligt signing for Barcelona and Juventus respectively.

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The spectre of Neymar potentially joining Griezmann, and returning to the club where he forged a deadly attacking ‘MSN’ trident, hangs in the air but with only a few weeks before the summer window shuts it’s difficult to see it going through.

However, with that being said, there have been a couple of straightforward deals that have been sealed of late. As follows is a list of 10 confirmed transfers that have taken place recently, all of which are deals you might have missed among the rumour mill.

1. Carlos Vinicius

From: Napoli

To: Benfica

Fee: £15.3m

A graduate of Santos’ esteemed academy, the 24-year-old Brazilian striker has now ended a frustrating one-year stay with Napoli for whom he never made a single appearance and was instead loaned out to Rio Ave and Monaco where, at the latter, he bagged two goals across 16 matches.

He returns to Portugal, where he previously netted eight goals in 14 Primeira Liga games – for Rio Ave – with national champions Benfica and will be hoping to become an integral part of Bruno Lage’s squad.

2. Jordan Veretout

From: Fiorentina

To: AS Roma

Fee: Loan

A wanted man this summer with AC Milan reportedly linked with the French midfielder’s signature. Instead the seven-time European champions miss out with Veretout deciding to remain in Serie A but swapping Fiorentina for AS Roma initially on a season-long loan before the deal is made permanent next summer.

3. Miguel Veloso

From: Genoa

To: Hellas Verona

Fee: Free

So much was expected of Miguel Veloso when he broke through at Sporting Lisbon; he’d go on to collect 56 international caps for Portugal, but the last came in October 2015. He now ends a nine-year association at Genoa – who sold him to Dynamo Kyiv before welcoming him back – with Hellas Verona being his new home.

4. Edson Alvarez

From: CF America

To: Ajax

Fee: £13.5m

Despite his tender age, Matthijs de Ligt’s departure has left a gaping hole in the centre of Ajax’s defence. Fortunately, sporting director Marc Overmars anticipated his loss, signing Lisandro Martinez and Kik Pierie, but neither are expected to line up alongside Daley Blind, that honour should fall to Edson Alvarez who leaves boyhood team Club America for Dutch football’s most decorated side.

5. Domagoj Bradaric

From: Hajduk Split

To: Lille

Fee: £5.9m

Lille are preparing for a first Champions League appearance since the 2012/13 season. As you’d expect Les Dogues are bolstering their squad in order to compete on four fronts. They’ve been active this summer with Croatian left-back Domagoj Bradaric their eighth acquisition, with Timothy Weah remaining the most high-profile signature.

6. Manu Garcia

From: Manchester City

To: Sporting Gijon

Fee: £3.6m

Like so many who joined Manchester City, particularly from overseas, Manu Garcia never came close to tasting regular first team football. Instead, whilst being employed by the Premier League champions, all he has known has been loan spells. Now at 21, a permanent move was on the cards with Segunda Division outfit Sporting Gijon hoping he can play a role in helping them return to the big time.

7. Rasmus Kristensen

From: Ajax

To: RB Salzburg

Fee: £4.5m

It just never quite worked out for Rasmus Kristensen at Ajax with him being relegated to a squad role soon after signing, and whenever he did play, the Danish right-back never looked quite in sync with his more technically-astute teammates.

For all parties a departure this summer was needed. Red Bull Salzburg, who are finally set to play Champions League football proper after years of trying to reach the group stage, will be where he writes the next chapter of his career.

8. Daishawn Redan

From: Chelsea

To: Hertha Berlin

Fee: £2.3m

So much has been written about Chelsea’s inability to ease their youngsters into holding down a first team place. Daishawn Redan, who joined from Ajax’s youth academy, is the latest to leave Stamford Bridge for pastures new, linking up with compatriot and ex-Man City academy player Javairo Dilrosun at Hertha Berlin.

9. Christopher Nkunku

From: PSG

To: RB Leipzig

Fee: £11.7m

For a while it seemed Christopher Nkunku had a future at PSG, who have often been kind to their kids, especially as he attained playing time under Unai Emery and his successor Thomas Tuchel.

However such is the fierce competition for places he was deemed surplus to requirements this summer, but the 21-year-old midfielder can look forward to furthering his education under RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann.

10. Marc Cucurella

From: Barcelona

To: Getafe

Fee: Loan

What a few days it has been for Marc Cucurella who boyhood club Barcelona re-signed from Eibar, igniting reports he was being groomed as Jordi Alba’s heir, only for the Spanish champions to loan him out to Getafe who can in a year’s time make his temporary stay a permanent one.