The final stages of Euro 2020 are now almost upon us, with the quarter-finals getting underway on Friday.
The final will take place on July 9, with the players involved in that stage then taking a short break before returning to their clubs for the beginning of the 2021/22 season.
With the transfer window now in full swing, we have already seen plenty of rumours when it comes to the futures of some of the biggest stars of the European Championships.
Let’s take a look at five players who could be high demand after this summer’s tournament ends:
Jack Grealish (Aston Villa & England)
Probably the least surprising name on this list given his links to Manchester City, Jack Grealish is a player that could well be on the move this summer.
It was reported last week that City were preparing a £100m bid for Grealish’s services after Euro 2020. Any move of that size of fee would break the British transfer record, set when Paul Pogba moved to Manchester United for £89m in 2016.
However, Aston Villa will be determined to keep hold of their star man. Sky Sports say that Grealish’s current club have opened talks to extend his contract at Villa Park.
Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen & Czech Republic)
Patrik Schick provided us with one of the highlights of the Euros when he scored an incredible 49-yard strike against Scotland on matchday one.
Having already scored to put the Czech Republic 1-0 up on the day, he then scored a penalty against Croatia in the following match to extend his goal tally to three.
Schick then scored the decisive second goal in his side’s 2-0 win over Netherlands to help them into the quarter-finals.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker has spoken previously about his desire to move to the Premier League – could he realise that ambition this summer?
Denzel Dumfries (PSV Eindhoven & Netherlands)
Denzel Dumfries’s two strikes have made him the joint-highest scoring defender going into the quarter-finals.
Netherlands’ tournament ultimately ended in disappointment, with Frank de Boer’s side exiting at the last 16 stage, but Dumfries was one of their standout performers in the group stage.
His goals helped to seal victories against Ukraine and Austria, whilst he was also a dependable performer defensively as well.
Everton were reportedly interested in signing the right-back last month, but there could be more clubs now keen to secure his services as a result of his Euro 2020 performances.
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal & Switzerland)
Granit Xhaka’s dominating display in Switzerland’s victory against France in the last 16 stage was arguably the finest individual performance of Euro 2020.
The Swiss captain won the midfield battle on the night against the world champions, and produced an outstanding through pass to assist Mario Gavranovic’s late equaliser in normal time.
Xhaka has been heavily linked with a move to AS Roma from Arsenal, which would see him join up with Jose Mourinho.
But Juventus have now reportedly joined the race for the midfielder, meaning we could see a long-running transfer saga this summer.
Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria & Denmark)
Mikkel Damsgaard has undoubtedly been one of the breakout stars of Euro 2020.
The 20-year-old was left on the bench for Denmark’s 1-0 defeat to Finland on matchday one, but has started the other three games that his side have played in.
Damsgaard scored a superb goal in the 4-1 victory over Russia that sealed the Danes’ progression to the knockout stages, before assisting Kasper Dolberg in the 4-0 victory over Wales in the last 16.
Spanish outlet Sport have reported that the winger has attracted interest from Barcelona. Could he be on the move this summer to one of Europe’s top clubs?
Featured Image Credit: Getty
