After Leon Bailey's long awaited move to the Premier League, we are now left with a gap which should be filled. So far there have been loosely connected names but nothing absolutely concrete. In this post I shall go through the candidates that have been linked with us at some point, that possess the quality to compete for a first team position, and analyse just how likely at current a deal is and give my own wildcard suggestion.
Romain Faivre - €15m + bonuses
Yesterday I wrote about how of all the clubs with an interest in Brest's Romain Faivre, Bayer Leverkusen were the best placed to sign him. Contrary to a lot of previous news, Borussia Monchengladbach should not have started negotiations according to Le10Sport, which is good news for us as it was said the player had agreed a 5 year deal with the club but negotiations between the two clubs had stalled due to Gladbach's inability to generate enough money. With €35m, we could start negotiations and quickly get the deal done from under their nose. He still has a contract until 2025 so Stade Brest hold all the cards.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - €18m
A player who is all but guaranteed to move on from their club this summer is the 20-year-old Georgian of Rubin Kazan. Last week Calciomercato named us among a list of clubs interested in him - Tottenham, AC Milan and Gladbach are the others. Milan were the favourites to sign him but his price tag was off-putting in addition to the fact he is a non-EU passport holder. He recorded his best stats last season, registering 8 goals and 4 assists in 23 appearances.
Jens Petter Hauge - €13m
Hauge is another player who has been associated with us for quite a while, at least ever since he joined AC Milan. Back then, it was for a loan but now it is about signing him permanently. The Norwegian's most likely destination is in the Bundesliga with ourselves, Wolfsburg and Frankfurt interested. Eintracht are ahead, having already made offers, most recently €10m + bonuses. Both we and Frankfurt have a need for wide players with both Younes and Kostic rumoured to leave. We would be better placed to meet Milan's demands of course so like with Faivre, we have the ability to get a deal done quick - if we want to that is.
Nikola Vlasic - €30m
Vlasic has been an absolute top performer in Russia for a couple of seasons now. Although his main position is in the centre, he is also capable of playing on either the left or right. I choose him as a wildcard due to his creativity and his likeness to Julian Brandt, a player I believe we really miss. Not thinking Brandt would come back to us so soon after leaving for Dortmund, a move for a similar player is probably the best we can do. Given that Seoane's wingers tend to be inverted, I do not think having a speed demon is all that necessary and having watched last season and the preseason friendlies, a player who has the technique to make good crosses and be dangerous from set pieces would be a great addition. The downside to a move for him would of course be his price and given that we should get two wingers makes a move for a player of his stature even less likely. AC Milan should have made an offer of a loan with an option to buy for €25m but CSKA Moscow are being stubborn.
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