Who are the top World Cup players that could be sold in the January transfer window?
- Zak Anderton
- 16 December 2022
Nothing like a World Cup to spark a spending spree, and a tournament in the middle of the domestic season will have agents rubbing their hands with glee. But which players will move club in January?
The 2022 Qatar World Cup has been full of shocks and surprises. Saudi Arabia beating Argentina, Germany and Spain both losing to Japan and Gareth Southgate not starting with five defenders to name but a few.
The World Cup is the grandest stage in football and is a platform for some relatively unknown players to showcase their talents.
Due to the tournament taking place just before the January transfer window, this is a unique World Cup as a top performing player will definitely get themselves noticed by a bigger team.
Planet Sport takes a look at some of the players that could switch clubs once the World Cup has been lifted.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
The most obvious name on this list is Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Manchester United star took part in an interview before the start of the tournament where he attacked the Old Trafford club. No stone was left unturned after the striker went for Erik Ten Hag, the Glazers and some of his teammates.
The out-of-favour striker evidently felt he was much bigger than the club and was clearing a path for a quick exit.
Therefore it was unsurprising news when the 37-year-old had his contract terminated by the club and now finds himself a free agent.
Ronaldo has been linked with a move to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in a deal worth an eye-watering $200m each year. The striker himself has rubbished this rumour but the thought of a deal like this potentially becoming a reality is staggering.
During the summer, the striker was looking for a way out of the club with Chelsea and Bayern Munich rumoured to be interested in acquiring his services.
Bayern Munich may be the most likely destination for Ronaldo to go to as their star signing Sadio Mane was recently ruled out for the foreseeable future.
The striker's boyhood club, Sporting Lisbon, is also a team that has been linked with acquiring the striker this January. Leading his club back to the Champions League in his twilight years may be just the challenge he needs.
Ronaldo is currently 4/5 to join any Saudi Pro League club, 4/1 to join Chelsea, 5/1 for a return to Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon are at 10/1, Newcastle are 12/1, any MLS club is also at 12s, PSG come in at 14/1 while Bayern Munich are out at 20s.
Nottingham Forest haven't signed a player in four months so must be getting itchy, Ronaldo is 66/1 to move to the East Midlands.
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
One of the lesser-known names on this list is that of Sofyan Amrabat. The midfielder has been a colossus in Morocco's midfield during their journey to the World Cup semi-finals.
The 26-year-old currently plys his trade for Fiorentina and has been one of the first names on Walid Regraugui's team sheet throughout the tournament and has played nearly every minute of the World Cup so far.
Following his stellar performance against Spain in the round of 16, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has reportedly gone as far as meeting Amrabat's representatives.
The main problem area within Liverpool's team is the lack of quality and depth in midfield.
Both Thiago and Jordan Henderson are the wrong side of 30 and Naby Keita is seemingly made of glass.
Liverpool really need to bolster their midfield ranks if they are to qualify for the Champions League at the end of this season.
Amrabat's contract only has 18 months left which could mean he is available for a cut-rate price.
Jude Bellingham (England)
Jude Bellingham has been among England's best performers at this year's World Cup and the interest for his services has increased, like his price tag, throughout the duration of the tournament.
During the summer transfer window, many teams were linked with signing the Birmingham-born wonderkid but, after Borussia Dortmund sold Erling Haaland, the German club were unwilling to let another star name leave.
Liverpool have been linked with signing the 19-year-old to add some star power to their ageing midfield.
Current Champions League holders, Real Madrid, are also one of the names who are rumoured to have 'concrete interest' in Bellingham. Even though Carlo Ancelotti spent around €80million on Aurelien Tchouameni in summer.
Bellingham's price tag is believed to be around €100m-€150million which will be out of many teams reach this January.
Liverpool top the market at 5/2, with Manchester City at 9/2, Real Madrid at 8s and Manchester Utd at 16/1.
Joao Felix (Portugal)
Joao Felix is the biggest gamble that Atletico Madrid have made in their history after signing him for an eye-watering €126million back in July 2019. Making him the third highest guaranteed transfer fee in football history.
Before this signing, Atletico were not classed as big spenders in La Liga despite often finishing in the top four.
Since then, however, the striker has failed to find consistency for the Spanish side largely due to the negative style of football Diego Simeone likes to play. Felix plays his best football as a false nine but has often been made to play as a lone striker.
During the Qatar World Cup, the forward has played in his preferred false nine role and has showcased the talent he possesses and has apparently handed in a transfer request after a falling out with Simeone.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that the striker is available for transfer in January but for a price of no lower than €100m.
One of the more surprising teams that have thrown their hat into the ring is Aston Villa. In past transfer windows the Villans have shown that they are not afraid of spending money to improve the quality of their team.
If new manager Unai Emery signed Felix, it would be a real statement of intent as Villa looking to compete for European places in the near future.
However, Villa's biggest signing so far is Emiliano Buendia at a shade under £35m, so surely Felix sits outside their budget.
PSG are favourites to sign Joao Felix at 9/2, Man Utd are next at 5/1, with Arsenal at 6/1, Chelsea 15/2 and Aston Villa at 8/1.
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
Cody Gakpo is currently one of the hottest prospects in world football. The winger has been in stellar form for both club and country this season and is rumoured to be making a move this winter.
The winger almost signed for Leeds in the summer with Jesse Marsch even going as far to say the club were "99.99% complete" with terms even being agreed upon. Now, after an outstanding start to his season with PSV and the Netherlands, he is likely to be out of their price range.
One of the clubs that have been heavily linked with acquiring Gakpo's services are Man United. Following the termination of Ronaldo's contract, the team are down an attacker and need someone to help manage the load with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
The winger has been the Netherlands' best player at the tournament, scoring three goals in four games. The 23-year-old has also said that if Man United came in for him that he would "think about it."
The forward is worth a reported £50million which, if Man United spent would take their spending to upwards of £250m this season.
Manchester United lead the way at 2/1, Newcastle are at 7/1, with Barcelona third favourite at 10/1. Leeds are still in the mix at 14/1, but both Arsenal and Liverpool are now ahead of them at 10s.
Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco)
Ounahi has been one of the star performers at this year's World Cup as Morocco reached the semi-final of the tournament.
The Angers midfielder won't have been on many people's radars before the tournament started, but the 22-year-old has been in such good form during the six games he played in Qatar everybody now wants a piece.
Rattling around the lower reaches of French football before Ligue 1 club Angers picked him up in July 2021, he quickly became a regular member of their midfield.
Premier League clubs appear to have taken the most interest in the industrious midfielder with Wolves (5/1), Leicester (8/1), West Ham and Newcastle (both 10/1) all having a sniff.
However the big guns of PSG (6/1) and Barcelona (9/1) might muscle their way to the front of the queue.
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco)
Hakim Ziyech of Morocco celebrates after scoring during the Group F match between Canada and Morocco
Hakim Ziyech has been out of favour at Chelsea with both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter throughout the 2022/23 season. The winger has made a few substitute appearances but seemingly has no future at the London club.
Ziyech was signed the season after Ajax's outstanding run in the 2018/19 Champions League, but has only started a smidgen over half his 92 appearances at Chelsea, and 14 goals and 10 assists is probably way below his target.
At the 2022 World Cup, the 30-year-old has helped Morocco to their first ever World Cup semi-final appearance. The first African country to progress to this stage of the tournament and that will add a little bit of shine to his fading star.
The attacker has been linked with joining Chelsea's London rival Tottenham, as Antonio Conte is reportedly a fan of Ziyech's style of play.
Spurs already have five attacking options in Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Lucas Moura.
Despite this, with each player having a spell on the sidelines, the Morocco international could add some much-needed cover and quality to Conte's side.
Moises Caicedo (Ecuador)
Moises Caicedo burst on to the scene after signing for Brighton and Hove Albion on deadline day of the 2020/21 January transfer window.
Caicedo is now an almost guaranteed starter for Roberto De Zerbi's side, especially after the unfortunate retirement of Enock Mwepu in October 2022.
During the 2022/23 summer transfer window, the Ecuador international was heavily linked with many teams, with the most notable of those being Liverpool. Following his performances for his country in the 2022 World Cup, the rumours of a transfer have started to heat up again.
Manchester United and Chelsea have now reportedly joined the race to sign the 21-year-old. Chelsea are reportedly the midfielder's "dream club" and he is believed to be keen on being reunited with Graham Potter
Currently valued at around £85m, his price tag which may be too high for a team to gamble on this January.
Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)
Yet another one of Benfica's youngsters has made his name known on the international stage.
Enzo Fernandez was signed in the summer transfer window for a mere £10m. The midfielder has set the World Cup alight and been a rock in Argentina's midfield.
Perhaps the highlight of his tournament, however, is the picture-perfect goal he scored to secure Argentina's qualification to the knockout rounds.
Fernandez has been linked with multiple clubs around Europe but, Benfica have slapped a massive £100m price tag on him which will make his acquisition slightly harder.
The Premier League's 'Big Six' have been following the player's development since his arrival at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
Since the summer transfer window, Josko Gvardiol has topped the shortlist of many European giants, but it is Chelsea who have shown the most interest.
Throughout the summer, Chelsea bolstered their defence and spent record breaking numbers on ensuring their back line was solid. Despite all the signings they made, Gvardiol seemingly evaded Todd Boehly's advances numerous times.
Now, starting for Croatia at the World Cup, Gvardiol has made his presence known and shown how much of a powerhouse he is in defence. While Chelsea's Premier League challenge has fallen away, they find themselves in eighth place in the Premier League.
Despite their repeated interest, RB Leipzig seem reluctant to let the centre-back go, especially after losing the likes of Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate in recent years.
His price tag is rumoured to be around £70m - £80m despite Leipzig signing him for around £15m just last year. Although after getting turned inside out by Lionel Messi in the World Cup semi-final, that figure might have dropped a little bit.
If Chelsea make this move, their total transfer fees for the season would amount to around £300m.
Andreas Skov Olsen (Denmark)
Andreas Skov Olsen is a winger who had a stellar World Cup campaign this year, despite Denmark underperforming as a whole. He currently plays for Club Brugge after signing in the summer for just €7m.
Despite being a winger by trade, Olsen is very versatile and can play anywhere from full-back to striker. He complimented Denmark's style of play well and offered competition for Mikkel Damsgaard.
He has most recently been linked with Tottenham as they look to strengthen their attacking depth further. He is only 22 years old so there is a decent amount of room for him to develop into a better player.
Danish legend, Michael Laudrup even hailed him as a 'real creative force' following his performances in Denmark's Euro 2020 campaign.
Yunus Musah (USA)
Yunus Musah had a choice of countries to represent on the international stage, eventually picking USA, over England and Ghana in 2020.
The attacking midfielder played in all four of the USA's World Cup games but didn't manage to contribute a goal or assist. Domestically, the 20-year-old plys his trade for Valencia and has been in and around their first team squad since he joined the club in 2020.
Liverpool have been keeping tabs on Musah since he broke into Valencia's first team, and he currently has an £86m release clause in his contract.
