Transfer Rumors

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in the news a lot the last couple of days. But who am I kidding? Zlatan Ibrahimovic is always in the news. I mean, come on, he’s Zlatan.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's contract is up at PSG, and he will leave the Parisian club this summer. Where he will land is a matter of great speculation, with China, Manchester United, AC Milan and LA Galaxy being floated as possible destinations for the big Swede. Seemingly in anticipation of this last possibility, the Philadelphia Union have placed a "discovery" claim on Zlatan.

If the Philadelphia Union discovered Zlatan then so did I, but this is beside the point.

Outside of Leicester City, one of the most improbable feel good stories of the year is the rejuvenation of French winger Hatem Ben Arfa's career. On January 4, 2015, Ben Arfa was released from his contract with Newcastle United, making him a free agent. Now, a little over a year later, he’s on the verge of signing for Barcelona as a vital back-up for their heralded front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. 

Let’s just get this out of the way: it is unlikely that Lionel Messi will end his career in China. He has gone on record multiple times saying that he wants to end his career at Barcelona, with the only other possibility being a return to his native Argentina. But should the landscape of Lionel Messi’s life change enough, and not in unheard-of ways, it is possible for him to move to China at the end of his career.

After this winter's mass exodus of attacking talent to the Glorious People's Republic of China, we were left with two feelings: confusion at what had just happened and wonder at what will come next. Here are 10 players we think have a good chance of landing in the Far East.

Christian Benteke

He's been disappointing since he came to Liverpool, and elling him to China might be the only way for the Reds to make their money back.

Mario Balotelli

See above.

Hulk

It's pretty safe to say that unless you're a Chelsea fan, you probably hate Diego Costa. His mastery of the dark arts of football tends to rub a lot of people the wrong way. He is the pantomime villain of the Premier League, the Loki of the world's game, the Iago to the Othello that is the Premier League referee. 

With champions having been crowned in England, Italy, France and, very shortly, Germany, the 2015/16 domestic season is drawing to a close. While we have both the European Championship and Copa America Centenario to look forward to this summer, it's also invariably that time of year when we're subject to constant summer transfer rumors. The 2016 summer transfer window is highlighted by some big names who are hungry for a change of scenery.

Before Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez set the world on fire at Bayer Leverkusen, he was a backup Manchester United striker who just wanted some playing time. He almost went to MLS to get it.

Bayer Leverkusen ended up with Hernandez, but also in the mix were Juventus, Lazio and Orlando City, among others.

From ESPNFC:

It's a rumour that is becoming more exasperating by the day. Will Jose Mourinho pack his bags and leave his beloved London? Will he relieve his former teacher, Louis Van Gaal, from his duties at Old Trafford, thus repeating every kung fu movie plotline ever? Well, it kind of depends who you ask. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is having a very good year. For a time, he was the highest scoring player in Europe, and his form since losing that title has not exactly been bad. As of today, he has 37 goals in 45 total competitions, per Transfermarkt. Amidst all the good publicity his form has earned him, Aubameyang has teamed up with Dutch freestyler Soufiane Touzani in order to film one bad ass cross bar challenge video.