5 Players That Will be Looking to use the World Cup for a January Transfer

After the emergence of that sensational interview across the last week, Cristiano Ronaldo could use the biggest stage to put himself in the shop window.

The Manchester United striker has failed to cement a place in Erik ten Hag’s side, often being condemned to a place on the bench. With the revelations in his latest blockbuster interview, Ronaldo publicly declared his lack of respect for the Man United boss, which will likely be the writing on the wall for his second stint at Old Trafford.

Whilst there is no denying Ronaldo has been one of the greatest footballers of all time after what he has achieved at United, Real Madrid, and Juventus – many have questioned whether the 37-year-old still has it in him to perform at the highest level. The 2022 World Cup could be a chance for the Portugal captain to show the world he is still very much a world-class player and could tempt a club to make that move that Ronaldo has desired since the summer.

Memphis Depay could use the World Cup to get clubs interested in him, after his career has stalled in the past few months at Barcelona.

With the arrival of so many new attackers, such as Robert Lewandowski, the former Manchester United man has fallen down the pecking order at the Nou Camp. This has seen Depay struggle for game time, with just three appearances all season so far for the Catalonians.

After linking up with Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal, Depay is likely to be one of the frontmen for the Dutch at the World Cup. This could open the door for him to impress and increase the interest from potential buyers.

Another Dutch star that could use the World Cup to showcase his skills, is PSV’s Cody Gakpo.

The 23-year-old has been in sensational form for the Eredivisie outfit so far this season, with a staggering nine goals and 12 assists in just 14 league games in the Dutch top tier. Whilst Gakpo is clearly enjoying his football at club level, a strong showing at the World Cup could see him in line for dream move to one of the big boys of world football.

After such fine form so far this campaign, it’s unlikely that van Gaal can afford to leave Gakpo out of his Netherlands side. If the PSV winger can continue performing for his national side, it may act as a come-and-get-me plea to some of the European heavyweights, with Manchester United and Liverpool some of those said to be among those interested.

Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez is another player that could massively increase interest in his signature with standout performances at the World Cup.

The 21-year-old was rumoured to have been watched by many of Europe’s top teams in the summer, before making the move to Benfica in July. The midfielder has impressed enormously since his arrival at the Portuguese outfit and has been integral to their stellar start to the season, which has seen them win 12 of their 13 Liga Portugal games and go eight points clear at the top, without a single defeat.

Fernandez’s brilliant form has only ramped up interest in the Argentinian, with plenty of clubs eyeing a potential move for him. With Fernandez likely to play a big role for Lionel Scaloni’s side in Qatar, it could see teams ready to pounce on Fernandez’s eye-watering release clause, which reportedly stands at around £100m.

Joao Felix could be another star that could be looking to use his performances in the World Cup to instigate a move in January.

Felix has struggled to solidify his place in the Atletico Madrid team, falling behind the likes of Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann in the pecking order. The 23-year-old has managed to start just five of Atleti’s 14 La Liga games so far and has struggled to live up to the glittering potential that was expected of him when he made the £113million move to Madrid in 2019. The World Cup could be the platform the attacker needs to remind the world of the talent he has.

Plenty of European giants such as PSG and Juventus are reportedly interested in the Portugal attacker. If the former Benfica man can put on an impressive showing in Qatar, it could be enough for one of the big boys to free Felix from Madrid, after seeing his career stagnate.