Here’s the latest situation on my idea of the top 10 potential transfers linked to Belgium (in some way). We’ve lost Thibaut Courtois (which surprised me but the fee was hard to refuse) and Axel Witsel. I’ve replaced them by two incoming possibilities: Milan Jovanovic (so beloved by many Liverpool fans) and Dieumerci Mbokani, another player who excites people’s emotions.
1. Romelu Lukaku: there’s a lot to say here. First off, Anderlecht do want to sell Lukaku so that they can build a team worthy of the name. They are under pressure from the fans to try and get back to a style of football that was last seen at Parc Astrid in the days of Robbie Rensenbrink and Enzo Scifo. Rumours abound as to which clubs have made official bids and Anderlecht are saying nothing except for a recent comment that the club’s transfer policy depends on Lukaku’s situation. That’s a lot to hang on to an 18 year-old’s shoulders. Chelsea and PSG have reportedly bid for the striker, with the latter bid being refused. Other clubs mentioned have been Arsenal (his agent was talking to the London club) and Inter (who are watching the situation). Manchester City should not be ruled out either. There was more smoke and mirrors from Lukaku’s agent recently when he told Belgian media that a group of investors might buy the player’s rights; that would rule out a move to the UK of course. A figure of €20 million has been mentioned as a minimum fee, with lots of talk about 25% going to Lukaku senior. Chelsea do still seem to be in pole position but I would not put any money on forecasting his final destination. Chelsea coach ‘AVB’ has also chipped in by saying he likes the player but he has enough strikers already.
2. Steven Defour is still at number two. After being linked to two Moscow clubs (Spartak and Lokomotiv), Defour decided that he did not want to move to Russia. Now it’s Porto who seem to be favourites to sign the Liege captain, but that depends on Joao Moutinho moving out. In the past, the Standard captain has been linked to Manchester United & Liverpool. Several injuries in recent seasons, however, have probably made some potential buyers think again. Remember that at the beginning of this campaign, Standard said he could leave (at the end of the season) if the right bid came along. The new management seem ready to honour that agreement and Standard have appointed a new captain: Jelle Van Damme.
3. Milan Jovanovic. The Serb was said to be 99% certain to join Anderlecht on a free transfer from Liverpool. He then had discussions with the Brussels club on Wednesday; it seems he wants close to €150.000 euros per month rather than the €100.000 on offer. Jova’s people are also talking to Al-Shabab (now managed by Michel Preud’homme). He could choose the money (Al-Shabab) or listen to his wife, who loves Brussels.
4. Dieumerci Mbokani. One could ask why any club would want to buy Monaco’s Congolese ‘striker’ Mbokani. He’s recently failed (in several ways) at Monaco and Wolfsburg – 1 goal in 18 games – and he’s been banned by the Congolese national team for a breach (or two) of discipline. Going back to 2007, Anderlecht sold him to Standard Liege as they felt he lacked … discipline. But the Brussels club now seems keen to sign him again, but only on loan as they are rightly a tad wary. Mbokani, for his part, wants a definitive transfer, presumably so he can relax for a couple of years and enjoy Brussels night life.
5. Kevin De Bruyne (19): a top prospect who is genuinely creative and one of the reasons why Genk won the Belgian title. He did say that he might consider playing for Anderlecht on loan if it meant he could go on to Chelsea later. That was a surprise but it was probably his agent talking. More recently De Bruyne has said he’d be happy to stay at Genk for another season. Genk will not want to lose him with Champions League qualifiers coming up.
6. Eden Hazard (20): lots of clubs are keen on the Lille winger, elected Player of the Year in France. Lille say he’s not for sale but they would probably accept €30 million (up to €40m according to the media). Hazard now seems to accept that a season playing Champions League football for the club that gave him a start in football is not a bad idea. Clubs that have been linked include Arsenal, Inter, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
7. Jan Vertonghen: Johan Cruyff’s return seemed to have had an impact as Vertonghen has stopped talking about a move. Ajax certainly want him to stay.
8. Jelle Vossen: Leading scorer for Genk last season; Vossen just missed out on Golden Boot to Ivan Perisic, now at Dortmund. He has often been mentioned with a move to Serie A – Udinese, Fiorentina or Genoa. Genk, though, want to keep their team together. No mention of a move in recent weeks.
9. Vincent Kompany: was linked briefly to Barcelona (and Real Madrid) but Kompany says he has no interest in leaving Manchester City. He’s Belgium’s top player by far. Kompany is a good tip to captain the Manchester club for a few years to come.
10. Marouane Fellaini: Some weeks ago, Fellaini told Belgian station RTBF that he wanted to play in a team that won trophies and played in the Champions League. That may have been a way of angling for a salary increase as no news since.
Hi John
Nice round-up. Is fascinating to follow the Jova and Mbokani transfer sagas and equally interesting how they are dependent on Lukaku. There's a lot of pressure on Anderlecht this season, a lot of which has now been self-imposed with the objective set to go for the JPL, cup and to still be in Europe come the spring. Anderlecht and Standard both lacking some creativity at the moment and that X-factor. Mbokani will definitely come and I think Jova will too as although Anderlecht won't do anything stupid in terms of finances, they know his quality. He could be stringing them along but we'll see. Try to see the best in people and all that.