We’re into the business end of all three European cup competitions this season, with semi-finals in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League kicking off this week.
There’s plenty of top talent turning out for the UEFA Champions League semi-finalists, but bar a small list, there aren’t many players that one can expect to be available on the transfer market in the summer.
That’s where the Europa League comes in.
The Europa League semi-finalists are almost exclusively filled with players who could be on the move.
Here’s who may end up in the Premier League…
Potential destinations: Liverpool
Teun Koopmeiners is a name that should be very, very familiar to Liverpool fans for two reasons:
- He made mince meat of Liverpool’s midfield in the Europa League quarter-finals.
- He’s been linked with your club at least twice a day for about a year.
The Dutch midfielder has been utterly brilliant since he joined Atalanta, hitting double figures in each of the last two seasons at the Serie A club.
Considering Liverpool’s need to go out and sign another midfielder in the summer, Koopmeiners may be the perfect fit.
Potential destinations: Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, Tottenham
In a time when players like Mykhailo Mudryk are going for €100m, it’s fair to say that a player like Paulo Dybala having a release clause of just €12m (£10.3m) in his current contract at AS Roma is fairly remarkable.
And sure, he is very injury prone, but when fit he’s as good as ever.
The fact that he’s managed 25 goals contributions this season alone is proof of that.
He’s still a world class player when available.
Potential destinations: Arsenal, Man City
11 goals and 15 assists.
Nope those aren’t the numbers racked up by a forward, they’re left wing-back Alex Grimaldo’s stats for the 2023/24 season.
It’s any wonder Bayer Leverkusen are so bloody good, eh?
Grimaldo’s performance should alert the Premier League’s best clubs, particularly Arsenal who had a bit of a problem at left-back throughout the current campaign.
Potential destinations: Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal
The indisputed best footballer you’ll see play in the 2023/24 Europa League semi-finals, Florian Wirtz is developing into a genuine megastar under the tutelege of Xabi Alonso.
Wirtz has been the x-factor in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga-winning side – as exemplified by his hat trick in the game which clinched the title in mid-April – and he’d improve any of the Premier League big guns if he were to move this summer.
Potential destination: Chelsea
Yes, another Bayer Leverkusen player.
The towering defender has, like every other Leverkusen player, been pretty damn good this season and, as a result, has been linked with a big money move to the Premier League.
The most interested party is reported to be Chelsea who, after conceding 63 goals in 33 Premier League games thus far in 2023/24, probably do need a few new defensive additions.
Potential destinations: Any lower mid-table team desperate for goals
Back again?
The now very old (34) striker has enjoyed one spell (Arsenal) and endured another (Chelsea) in the Premier League. But considering his form with Marseille this season (27 goals in all competitions), we wouldn’t be massively surprised if another English team takes a punt on him this summer.
Due to his age, he might not be appealing to a top club at this stage of his career, but a lower mid-table team desperate for goals may be inclined to make an offer.
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