While players like Diego, Andre Santos and Doni have all switched clubs in the past few months, many more players are still with the same employers, as shown in Sambafoot’s ‘Staying-Put XI’ below.
Goalkeeper:
Rafael (Santos)
Linked with: Palermo
The 21-year-old was one of a number of Santos’ Copa Libertadores winning squad members wanted by European clubs. Palermo made a late bid of €4 million for him, but it was rejected by Santos, who soon hope to improve his contract.
Defenders:
Maicon (Internazionale)
Linked with: Real Madrid, Manchester City
For the second summer running, it seemed as if the right-back would make the switch to the Bernabeu, more so after Inter signed Jonathan as a supposed replacement. However, despite big-spending Manchester City also reportedly interested, he has stayed put.
Lucio (Internazionale)
Linked with: Bayern Munich, Malaga
Lucio was strongly linked with a move to former club Bayern Munich, as well as oil-rich Malaga. However, he never showed any desire to leave, and eventually signed a new contract at the San Siro.
Alex (Chelsea)
Linked with: Juventus, Arsenal, Liverpool, Zenit St Petersburg
The 29-year-old looked to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after falling behind John Terry, David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic in the pecking order. He was rumoured to be in talks with Juventus on deadline day, but no move materialised.
Michel Bastos (Lyon)
Linked with: Juventus, Internazionale
The Lyon left-back-cum-left-winger was quoted as saying he wanted to join Juventus, and for a while the deal looked all but done. But Bastos eventually came out as saying he was committed to Lyon, and the move was off.
Midfielders
Kaka (Real Madrid)
Linked with: Arsenal, AC Milan, Internazionale
After two difficult seasons at the Bernabeu, many believed Real would cash in on injury-plagued Kaka. He was linked with a return to former club Milan, but Jose Mourinho stated no move would be forthcoming, and Kaka scored in Real’s first league game of the season against Zaragoza.
Lucas Moura (Sao Paulo)
Linked with: Paris St Germain, Liverpool, Internazionale
Lucas made such an impact with Sao Paulo last year that he was called up to the Brazil squad for the Copa America. He attracted interest from Europe, but although a bid from Inter was reportedly rejected, he never looked likely to move.
Casemiro (Sao Paulo)
Linked with: Internazionale, Roma, Barcelona
The young midfielder was touted as a potential star of the Under-20 World Cup, during which he was a regular starter for Brazil. Italian media sources quoted him as saying he wanted to join Roma, but no official offers were made.
Ganso (Santos)
Linked with: AC Milan, Manchester United, Paris St Germain
Rumours appeared on a regular basis about the future of Ganso after his performances for Santos and Brazil. However, his club declared he was not for sale and stayed firm, and were able to hang on to one of their prized assets.
Strikers
Leandro Damiao (Internacional)
Linked with: Tottenham Hotspur, Porto
The top scorer in Brazil during 2011 was a constant target for Tottenham Hotspur, who had an official of €12 million bid rejected. The Inter president said he would only accept an ‘abnormal’ bid for Damiao, and as it turned out, no more were made.
Neymar (Santos)
Linked with: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Anzhi Makhachkala
Last but certainly not least, Neymar’s name appeared in gossip columns on an almost daily basis. Santos claimed to have accepted five bids for him, and he seemed destined for Real Madrid, but despite all the rumours he never made any noise about leaving, and will remain with his current club until January at least.
