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Cristiano Ronaldo is headline story of our rumour mill as he’s linked with shock Turkey move

David Cooper

17:43 16/03/2018

Even with the transfer window over three months away, clubs are at the stage of starting to put deals in place for summer.

There’s plenty of activity that’s setting the rumour mill abuzz as clubs flesh out their transfer strategies.

Here’s a look at three players that could be switch clubs this summer.

Tell us what you think about these potential transfers on Twitter and Facebook.

CRISTIANO RONALDO

Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a shock move to Besiktas.

The Turkish club’s ambitious president Fikret Orman has outlined plans to expand Besiktas’ global fan base to 100 million fans, and the Real Madrid attacker is meant to become a star attraction for the club and the Super Lig.

Orman acknowledged in an interview with Turkish media outlet Ajansspor that the club still have a lot to do to become a desired destination for Ronaldo and players of his calibre, but says he’s honoured that Besiktas is being linked with him.

It’s likely that Ronaldo, 33, will step down a level from Madrid towards the end of his career, although that may not happen for another few years.

Could Ronaldo really head to Turkey?

CLEMENT LENGLET

Sevilla’s star young defender Clement Lenglet is a target for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, says Sport.

Barcelona have reportedly been monitoring the Frenchman for some time, keeping him on their list of potential future signings. The club has been looking for reinforcements at the centre-back position with Javier Mascherano having departed and Thomas Vermaelen struggling to stay injury-free.

Lenglet’s compatriot Zinedine Zidane also reportedly has designs on adding the 22-year-old to his Real Madrid squad.

Lenglet has impressed for Sevilla this season, and his stock has risen further after his performance against Manchester United during their shock win over the Premier League club in the Champions League.

With a release clause of just €30 million, there could be plenty of competition for his signature.

Lenglet’s stock has risen with recent performances.

MALCOM

RMC Sport claims Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been in direct contact with Malcom in a bid to persuade the Brazilian winger to join Spurs this summer.

The 21-year-old is more or less guaranteed to leave Bordeaux in the summer window, and has also been linked with moves to Arsenal and Bayern Munich. There was speculation that he was close to joining Arsenal this winter, only for a switch to never pan out.

Pochettino has tried to get a leg up on his rivals in the chase by calling Malcom up to convince him to join the north London club.

Bordeaux are likely to demand €55m for their star winger, who has quickly become one of the most sought-after players in Europe.

It may be Spurs after all for Malcom, who was linked with them in January, too.

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