One player from each FIFA World Cup team that could leave their club
The striker that benched Ronaldo, a Frenchman offered to Bayern before his stellar showing, and an American who needs to play… the stars that could use their World Cup displays to earn a transfer
- The World Cup was full of individual brilliance and teams will look to tap into that
- From strikers who dethroned legends to goalkeepers who inspired their nations
- There’s youngsters to watch for and established veterans who may make moves
- Maybe even your team could be in the hunt for one of these 48 standout players
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
After a World Cup full of exciting moments, heightened drama, and individual brilliance, its time to see which teams are going to take a swing at those players who stood out the most from each country.
Now that the trophy has been handed out, it’s time to take a look at each nation and see which players could use their World Cup performances to leverage a transfer.
Here, Dailymail.com looks at the players who are the most likely from their country to make a jump from their current club.
Heroics from players like Morocco’s Yassine Bounou could lead to transfers to bigger clubs
Enzo Fernandez was one of many Argentines to have an impact, but is he likely to leave soon?
Group A
Holland: Teun Koopmeiners, 24, midfielder, Atalanta
Koopmeiners is one of the brightest young defensive midfielders in world football. Atalanta is currently battling for a Europa Conference League spot, but if they don’t make it, don’t be shocked if he leaves.
Teun Koopmeiners has a bright future ahead of him and this World Cup proved that
Senegal: Ismaila Sarr, 24, winger, Watford
After bagging a goal against Ecuador, Sarr is one of the few players in second division football that got a callup to the national team.
Watford currently sit fourth in the Championship and could work their way back up to the Premier League. If they don’t (or even if they do), Sarr could seek playing time with a more talented team. He saw links to Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace this summer.
Ismaila Sarr has been linked with Premier League clubs before, so it might be the time to move
Ecuador: Moises Caicedo, 21, midfielder, Brighton
He grabbed the lone goal for his team against Senegal and put in a great performance against the host nation in the opening match. That could see him leave, much like a fellow Seagulls teammate who will appear below.
Both Liverpool and Chelsea seem interested in the midfielder, according to Transfermarkt.
Moises Caicedo’s goal against Senegal gave his team hope for advancing further
Qatar: Akram Afif, 26, forward, Al-Saad
It’s hard to make choices for some of these nations – and Qatar may have been the hardest. They did not play well and all of their players ply their trade in the Qatari Stars League (with a majority coming from Al-Sadd).
If anyone was to draw the attention of a major European league, it would be Akram Afif. He was arguably the host nation’s most consistent player, however, it’s still not likely he’ll leave.
Akram Afif did not have the World Cup campaign he or the host nation would have hoped for
Honorable Mentions: Cody Gakpo (NED, FW, PSV) has wasted no time in sealing his move to the Premier League as he joined Liverpool in a $53million deal on Wednesday. Andries Noppert (NED, GK, Heerenveen) should also be attracting some attention from big name clubs.
Holland’s Cody Gakpo (L) has already made move while Andries Noppert could make switch
Group B
England: Declan Rice, 23, midfielder, West Ham
Rumors of Rice departing have percolated for the better part of two years. Considering most players on England’s squad are at top clubs and are locked into their roles (and that Rice wants to play Champions League football) it’s likely Rice will be the one to move.
Chelsea and both Manchester clubs are all keen on the midfielder and the Hammers have reportedly conceded internally that he will move on.
Declan Rice seems destined to leave West Ham this summer and this World Cup proved it
United States: Christian Pulisic, 24, winger, Chelsea
Pulisic has been in desperate need of playing time this season. He didn’t get much under Thomas Tuchel and he’s only gotten a few starts under Graham Potter.
Rumors suggest he could go to Leeds Newcastle, Manchester United, or Arsenal – but there aren’t any clear front runners for the star USMNT player.
Christian Pulisic isn’t getting as much playing time as he’d need to perform at a high level
Iran: Sardar Azmoun, 27, forward, Bayer Leverkusen
Iran was a very defensive minded team at this World Cup that failed to score as often as their opponents. They’re also a very old team.
While most of the goals went to 30-year-old Mehdi Taremi, his strike partner was forward Sardar Azmoun – who was linked with Juventus in January of 2022 and has seen limited playing time at Leverkusen as a second striker behind Patrik Schick.
Sardar Azmoun isn’t getting much playing time at Leverkusen and could seek it elsewhere
Wales: Neco Williams, 21, defender, Nottingham Forest
After being linked with a number of promoted teams, the former Liverpool man stood out at this World Cup – especially after a spirited performance against the US after the death of his grandfather.
Most of the starters on Wales didn’t turn in as consistent of a performance as Williams did in the three games the Dragons played. Even though he just arrived in Nottinghamshire, he could be due for another move if Forest don’t fix their string of bad luck soon.
A poor showing from Wales didn’t leave many stars beyond new Forest man Neco Williams
Honorable Mentions: Jude Bellingham (ENG, MD, Borussia Dortmund) leaving Germany for England this summer seems more of a question of where not if. Meanwhile, Haji Wright (USA, FW, Antalyaspor) scored one of two goals for the USMNT and is one of the top scorers in Turkey, so it might serve the Schalke product well to find stiffer competition elsewhere.
Jude Bellingham (L) seems set for England while Haji Wright could find tougher challenges
Group C
Argentina: Alexis Mac Allister, 23, midfielder, Brighton
The first of three Argentines on this list, Mac Allister did very well in his distribution role at this World Cup – managing to score a goal along the way. He’s already been linked to Arsenal, so a move this window isn’t entirely out of the question. Juventus are also interested.
Alexis Mac Allister was a key cog in the Argentina side that took home the 2022 World Cup
Poland: Piotr Zielinski, 28, midfielder, SSC Napoli
No younger players on Poland were consistent enough to warrant a decision, so it’s a safe bet with Piotr Zielinski.
Zielinski has already won the Coppa Italia and Napoli are in prime position to win Serie A. With his contract winding down as he’s about to enter the twilight of his career, Zielinski might be due for one more big move.
Piotr Zielinski is about to enter his 30s, so this might be his last chance for a big pay day
Mexico: Cesar Montes, 25, defender, Monterrey
Of the center backs Tata Martino stuck with in all three matches of his tenure, Montes was the most defensively sound and consistent. His assist in the 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia proved to just not be enough.
Rumors linked him with RCD Espanyol in LaLiga and he has, in fact, only just signed with Espanyol. He wasn’t in the shop window for very long at all.
Cesar Montes is already headed for Europe after signing with Espanyol after the World Cup
Saudi Arabia: Firas Al-Buraikan, 22, forward Al-Fateh
Much like Qatar, all of the players for the Green Falcons play in the Saudi A-League. One youngster who could be set for a move is Firas Al-Buraikan – who set up the first of two goals in an upset of eventual champions Argentina.
Saudi youngster Firas Al-Buraikan was one of the few standouts for a poor Green Falcons team
Honorable Mentions: While Enzo Fernandez (ARG, MF, Benfica) is the easy choice, his fee will probably necessitate a transfer in the summer. In addition, there has to be some way to let Julian Alvarez (ARG, FW, Manchester City) leave on loan to keep scoring unless Pep Guardiola ever gets comfortable playing with two strikers.
Enzo Fernandez’s (L) displays demands a big move and Julian Alvarez (R)deserves starting time
Group D
France: Randal Kolo Muani, 24, forward, Eintracht Frankfurt
Reports indicate Bayern Munich was offered Kolo Muani by Eintracht Frankfurt just before the World Cup started. The Bavarian giants didn’t take him – which one can imagine suits Eintracht just fine after the stunning World Cup campaign the youngster had – including one goal and a penalty converted in the penalty shootout in the final.
Randal Kolo Muani could be moved from Eintracht Frankfurt – but at a higher price
Australia: Harry Souttar, 24, defender, Stoke
Most of the stars for Australia are either on the wrong side of 30 already or are nearly there. Of the younger players on this roster, Souttar was arguably the most consistent, despite getting battered by France and Argentina.
Having been at Stoke since 2016, Souttar has been loaned out to Fleetwood Town more times than one person deserves. He had great performances in back-to-back clean sheets against Tunisia and Denmark, so maybe a team could take a chance on him. He was most recently rumored to be tied to Burnley just before the summer of 2021.
In a team where the offense is aging out, defender Harry Souttar brings hope for the future
Tunisia: Aymen Dahmen, 25, goalkeeper, CS Sfaxien
Alisson. Matt Turner. Andries Noppert. Dominik Livakovic. Aymen Dahmen. These were the only five goalkeepers that allowed a single goal after three starts in the group stage. Considering Dahmen still plays at a club in Tunisia, he should be available for most European teams.
Tunisia keeper Aymen Dahmen’s World Cup performances makes him due for a move to Europe
Denmark: Joachim Andersen, 26, defender, Crystal Palace
Denmark had an absolutely horrid World Cup. The team that was the pick of many to be dark horses fell apart in attack, but only conceded three goals in three matches. A lot of that is due to the fantastic partnership between Joachim Andersen and Andreas Christensen.
Seeing as the latter just completed a move to Barcelona, and considering Andersen has turned in excellent performances at Palace, a deep-pocketed Premier League team might give him a long look after this World Cup.
In a tournament that saw little go right for Denmark, Joachim Andersen was a standout
Honorable Mentions: Jesper Lindstrom (DEN, MF, Eintracht Frankfurt) is a Danish talent to keep an eye on for the future, and the same could be said for Youssouf Fofana (FRA, MF, Monaco).
Youngsters Jesper Lindstrom (L) and Youssouf Fofana (R) feature in our honorable mentions
Group E
Japan: Ao Tanaka, 24, midfielder, Fortuna Dusseldorf
Tanaka’s second goal against Spain sent his country into the Round of 16 for the second consecutive year. He did very well for someone currently playing in the German second division, and with many of Japan’s top talent playing in the Bundesliga, it might be time for him to link up with his comrades.
Ao Tanaka’s goal helped his side advance to the Round of 16 with a victory over Spain
Spain: Dani Olmo, 24, midfielder, RB Leipzig
This was a tough one – as everyone in Spain plays for a team in a top-five league. But look to Dani Olmo to potentially leave. He’s been linked with top clubs in the Premier League and LaLiga before and his strong performance in Qatar should spark more interest.
Dani Olmo could seek a move out of RB Leipzig after a great campaign with La Furia Roja
Germany: Niclas Fullkrug, 29, forward, SV Werder Bremen
German national team manager Hansi Flick said the country hasn’t developed a good enough No. 9. While that might be true, Fullkrug made an amazing impact on the field when he was substituted on and deserved more playing time – especially in a starting role. He’s been linked with Bayern Munich, and while Werder Bremen are sitting mid-table in the Bundesliga, he could move elsewhere if that changes.
Germany coach Hansi Flick didn’t give striker Niclas Fullkrug the starting time he deserved
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas, 35, goalkeeper, Paris Saint-Germain
In short, Keylor Navas is too good to be sitting as a reserve player behind Gianluigi Donnarumma. A team in the Premier League or LaLiga in need of a keeper could very easily milk a few years more out of Navas.
Even though Costa Rica didn’t advance, Keylor Navas proved he’s still got a lot to offer
Honorable Mentions: Ritsu Doan (JPN, MF, SC Freiburg) just moved to Freiburg this summer, but he scored the important second goal to down Germany. For the future, keep an eye on 19-year old Brandon Aguilera (CRC, MF, Guanacasteca) to see if he leaves for Liga MX, MLS, or other pastures.
Ritsu Doan (L) is doing well for himself in Freiburg and Brandon Aguilera, 19, is one to watch
Group F
Morocco: Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou, 31, goalkeeper, Sevilla
In a group full of great goalkeeper performances, Bono stood out for Morocco. He was previously linked with Aston Villa according to TransferMarkt, and is being actively looked at by Bayern Munich, per reports.
One of two keepers in this group to have a great World Cup, Bono stood out for Morocco
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, 27, goalkeeper, Dinamo Zagreb
After a summer of rumors of a move to Lazio, it seems that Juventus and Bayern Munich could be in a dogfight for the standout Croatian keeper. He made 21 saves across his seven World Cup games and showed his might by guiding the Vatreni to a third place finish.
Dominik Livakovic could have played himself into a transfer into a top-five European league
Belgium: Amadou Onana, 21, midfielder, Everton
Not a lot went right for Belgium – whose golden generation began to tarnish before our very eyes. One bright spot for their future lies in the boots of Amadou Onana, who turned in a decent performance off the bench against Canada and seemed the better of the two CM’s against Morocco.
With the Golden Generation of Belgium fading, Amadou Onana could represent the next one
Canada: Kamal Miller, 25, defender, CF Montreal
Les Rouges had the first two transfers of the World Cup – with Alastair Johnston leaving for Celtic and Ismael Kone moving to Watford. There are others who could possibly leave their teams, but after having a strong performance in defense, Kamal Miller could draw some attention from teams overseas.
Kamal Miller put in good performances at center back for Les Rouges this tournament
Honorable Mentions: It seems that Josko Gvardiol (CRO, DF, RB Leipzig) is hellbent on leaving, but Leipzig are in a title battle so the pick here is actually Mislav Orsic (CRO, MF, Dinamo Zagreb). He’s on the older side at 28, but he could easily fit in at a Premier League or Bundesliga club. Tajon Buchanan (CAN, FW, Club Brugge) needs to prove that he can produce at club level, but he put forth some excellent performances on the ball for Canada that shows his intelligence.
A pair of wingers feature in honorable mentions with Mislav Orsic (L) and Tajon Buchanan
Group G
Brazil: Pedro, 25, winger, Flamengo
There are very few players with Brazil who can a) be afforded by other clubs or b) are in need of a transfer. If there’s anyone likely to take off, it’s Pedro.
He is affordable and not in a top-five league.
Pedro is one of the few players on this Brazil team who is affordable and not in a top-five league
Switzerland: Yann Sommer, 34, goalkeeper, Borussia Monchengladbach
Even at 34, Sommer is in demand by a number of teams looking for an upgrade to their goalkeeping. It’s probably hitting him that he won’t be winning anything with Die Fohlen anytime soon, and with his contract running down, he’s due for a big pay day.
In addition to Bayern Munich, Sommer is linked with moves to Tottenham and Manchester United.
Even at his current age, keeper Yann Sommer has a lot to offer a team fighting for silverware
Cameroon: Nouhou Tolo, 25, defender, Seattle Sounders FC
The young fullback is on an expiring contract in the Pacific Northwest and looked pretty good against the likes of Switzerland and Brazil.
Considering his age and his lack of a deal keeping him in MLS, he might be worth a European team taking a chance on him.
As his contract in Seattle winds down, keep an eye on Nouhou Tolo and a jump to a bigger team
Serbia: Strahinja Pavlovic, 21, defender, Red Bull Salzburg
The Serbs had an absolutely terrible World Cup defensively – allowing the second most goals out of any team at the tournament. Of everyone on the backline, youngster Pavlovic showed the most promise and even bagged a goal in the 3-3 draw to Cameroon.
At only 21-years old, Strahinja Pavlovic could be Serbia’s next great defensive player
Honorable Mentions: Noah Okafor (SUI, MF, Red Bull Salzburg) is an RB Leipzig player in waiting, so why not try and spring for him now? Andrija Zivkovic (SRB, MF, PAOK) was one of the few bright midfielders from Serbia and could move elsewhere too.
Noah Okafor (L) is poised for a move and Andrija Zivkovic can find tougher challenges
Group H
Portugal: Goncalo Ramos, 21, forward, Benfica
The man who benched Cristiano Ronaldo and went on to score a hat-trick gets put on this list. Adding teammate Enzo Fernandez into account and 2023 could be very lucrative for Benfica.
Goncalo Ramos (26) will surely attract attention and a lot of money to Benfica this year
South Korea: In-Beom Hwang, 26, midfielder, Olympiacos
The Koreans are on the older side, but defensive midfielder Hwang In-Beom and his great performances against Uruguay and Portugal land him here.
South Korea has a bunch of talent playing in lower leagues and In-Beom Hwang could step up
Uruguay: Giorgian De Arrascaeta, 28, midfielder, Flamengo
In an aging Uruguay team – whose best player is arguably the most in-form midfielder in the world right now – it was tough to pick a player for this list. Considering Rodrigo Betancur just moved to Tottenham, maybe two-goal-scorer Giorgian De Arrascaeta is the next likely to find a new club.
De Arrascaeta may have signed a new contract last January, but he’s been at Flamengo a while
Ghana: Mohammed Kudus, 22, midfielder, Ajax
The midfielder dazzled and delighted, bagging a brace in the Black Stars’ 3-2 win over South Korea. Arguably the brightest young star of the youngest squad at the tournament, Kudus will surely have a line of suitors.
Mohammed Kudus was the brightest of this young Black Stars team at the World Cup
Honorable Mentions: Paik Seung-ho (KOR, MF, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) was a great bench player for the Koreans and should be able to find work outside his native country. Osman Bukari (GHA, MF, Red Star) shows a lot of promise at age 23, so he’s one to keep an eye on.
Seung-ho Paik (L) and Osman Bukari performed well at this World Cup and deserve attention
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