Six possible Super League departures in August

AGONAsport takes a look at six well-known Super League players who could still possibly leave their respective clubs this summer.

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The lengthy summer transfer period is reaching its conclusion, but before the window shuts, there are still a number of arrivals and departures which could happen. Let’s take a look at six well-known players who have been heavily linked with a move away from their clubs in recent weeks:

Leonardo Koutris

Since the previous season ended, Olympiacos have been receiving plenty of offers for the gifted left-back, with West Ham United and Benfica the most eager to acquire his services. In England, the transfer window has already slammed shut, but Benfica, Porto and Marseille are all still in contention to sign Koutris.

During the 2018/2019 season, Koutris was very much the first choice left-back for Pedro Martins, so the fact he was left out of the team for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzen and Basaksehir speaks volumes. Olympiacos want more than 10 million euros for Koutris.

Franco Soldano

The move to Piraeus has not worked out at all. In January, Soldano penned a four-year contract with Olympiacos, but the 24-year-old forward has failed to adapt to the European game. On one hand, there is an argument that he should be given more time to improve, but on the other, there is extremely high competition within this Olympiacos team. Soldano is not in Martins’ plans, and is on his way across the Atlantic to return to his native Argentina with Boca Juniors.

Pape Abou Cisse

Cisse has emerged as one of the leading centre-backs in the Super League. Standing 197 centimeters tall, the Senegalese international is difficult to beat in the air, and he has been the most reliable Olympiacos defender in the last two seasons. Olympiacos were rumoured to have rejected a bid of 18 million for Cisse in January. As it stands, Cisse will stay in Piraeus for the time being, but interest is there and they could be tempted into cashing in.

Yassine Meriah has also attracted interest after his superb play at the 2019 African Cup of Nations.

Vasilis Barkas

The talented 25-year-old goalkeeper has been linked with a move away from AEK during the entire summer. However, with August already upon us, it’s looking increasingly likely that Barkas will remain in Athens. According to reports, Italian clubs Roma and Udinese are still showing interest in Barkas, while Rennes of Ligue 1 are also keeping track of the state of play.

Today, AEK received a bid of 4.5 million from Montpellier, but the Enosis rejected the bid and want at least eight million for Barkas. Montpellier had included a resale rate of 15-20% in their proposal.

Barkas kept a clean sheet in the 2019/2020 UEFA Europa League qualifying win at Universitatea Craiova on Thursday (2:0).

Fellow AEK players Petros Mantalos and Marko Livaja were also rumoured with possible exits, but assuming nothing out of the ordinary occurs, the pair will definitely stay with the Kitrinomavri.

Federico Macheda

When Macheda transferred to Panathinaikos last year, his career was on a continuous downward spiral, but the Italian striker has got back on track with the Prasini. In the 2018/2019 season, Macheda struck 10 goals in the Super League for Panathinaikos, impressing with his productive displays on the pitch. Taking into account Panathinaikos’ financial position, it won’t take a huge bid to persuade the Athenians to sell, and Trabzonspor are willing to pay 1.5 million. Panathinaikos have already rejected an offer of 500,000 from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club.

Dimitris Kourbelis

In the second half of the 2017/2018 season, it appeared certain that Kourbelis would leave Panathinaikos in favour of Sampdoria in Serie A, but the transfer didn’t happen. In the ensuing 2018/2019 campaign, the Greek international was once again a leading player for Panathinaikos, standing out with his passion and desire. Given his important role within the team, Panathinaikos would like to keep Kourbelis, but an offer exceeding two million could possibly persuade them to sell their prized asset. The versatile defender/defensive midfielder is rapidly becoming a key player for the Greek national team, and if reports in the media are to be believed, Strasbourg are waiting in the wings to sign him from Panathinaikos.

By Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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