Jordan Ayew plays for English side, Swansea
Swansea City top scorer Jordan Ayew couldn't save the South Wales side from Premier League relegation, yet his 10 goals across all competitions during a difficult 2017/18 season means the Ghana international forward isn't short of suitors. Two teams in particular - one in England and the other in Scotland - are said to be interested in Ayew's signature and rumoured £14,000,000 release clause.
The future of many first-team players at the Liberty Stadium remains in doubt as the Swans parted company with head coach Carlos Carvalhal at the end of the campaign. That uncertainty means other clubs are circling for Swansea players, like Ayew, who have put in decent performances. Where next for him, though? Liverpool or Celtic?
Allen experience an Anfield warning
Ayew wouldn't be the first Swans star to leave Wales for Merseyside after Wales midfielder Joe Allen joined Liverpool when manager Brendan Rodgers made the switch and national captain Ashley Williams went to Everton.
How Allen fared at Anfield, however, may form a cautionary tale for Ayew. The pass-master wasn't always first-choice at Liverpool and Ayew is likely to face similar problems if he follows in those footsteps. Jurgen Klopp's front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane netted 91 goals between them across all competitions this past season and fired the Reds to the Champions League final.
A luckless night in Kiev where, admittedly, Liverpool were betting outsiders saw star turn Salah injured in a tussle with Sergio Ramos, then keeper Lorius Karius make two high-profile mistakes as Real Madrid became 13-time European Cup winners.
With such a fearsome forward line, Klopp's team are among the likeliest challengers to Manchester City for the Premier League title according to the outright market for 2018/19.
They may not be favourites for the title but there are free betting offers online from companies like Paddy Power and Ladbrokes, and each-way value in backing the Reds while Firmino, Mane and Salah continue to be prolific, but it leaves prospective new signing Ayew playing a bit-part role behind them. The key questions is whether Ayew is prepared to accept that, because challenging them for a starting spot in the Liverpool XI on this season's form isn't likely.
Bhoys hold serious interest
Dominant Scottish champions and dual treble winners Celtic are said to be "seriously interested" in signing Ayew where former Swansea and Liverpool boss Rodgers is in charge.
The Northern Irishman has gone back to his old charges to sign attacking players before in Scott Sinclair. There's a sense that Rodgers and the Bhoys cannot rest on their laurels despite being the undisputed best team north of the border.
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele was nothing like as prolific in his second season at Parkhead, where fellow forward options Sinclair and Patrick Roberts also didn't score so often.
While that didn't hamper Rodgers en route to more domestic dominance, the presence of his Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard in the Rangers dugout on his managerial debut adds an interesting dynamic to the Scottish Premiership and cup competitions.
Ayew would certainly regard himself as an upgrade on the Bhoys' other current striking options that include Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard, so this is a realistic destination with better prospects of regular football. His experience of European football from his Marseille will also appeal to Rodgers, who is keen to improve Celtic's standing and showings in continental competitions.
