Thanks to Carlos Tevez and his found, lost, new-found, lost, new-new-found love for Manchester, its people and Roberto Mancini, the interminable transfer saga has been without its leading man this summer. Luka Modric has sealed his move to Real Madrid ahead of the transfer deadline, Robin van Persie left Arsenal relatively quickly by their standards and even Emmanuel Adebayor is off the Manchester City payroll at last. Still, there are plenty more agitating for a move or being pushed out of the door by their employers and here are 10 players whose futures may not be resolved until 11pm on Friday …
1. Andy Carroll, Liverpool
Brendan Rodgers was only in the door at Liverpool five minutes when he made it clear the most expensive English footballer in history did not figure in his plans and could be sold at the right price to improve his transfer budget. Two months on, all Liverpool have on the table are loan offers with a view to buy in 12 months' time from Newcastle United and West Ham United. It will take a much-improved offer – and for Liverpool to have lined up a replacement – for Rodgers to sell now.
2. Clint Dempsey, Fulham
Liverpool are under investigation by the Premier League over allegations they tapped up the Fulham forward earlier this summer. According to Martin Jol, Dempsey told all and sundry he was Anfield-bound on his return from the United States only subsequently to discover, having demolished bridges at Craven Cottage, that Liverpool do not have the money to buy him. Sunderland are reportedly interested, Everton had a look and Jol has spoken in recent days of a possible return to the fold at Fulham.
3. Michael Dawson, Tottenham
The retirement of Ledley King looked to have left Tottenham Hotspur in greater need of the central defender but, with the arrival of André Villas‑Boas as manager, Dawson's stock has plummeted at White Hart Lane. Villas‑Boas has stated he views Dawson as the club's fifth-choice centre-half and, in that respect, he should probably look for another employer. A move to Queens Park Rangers has been rejected and he awaits a possible offer from Sunderland.
4. Leandro Damião, Internacional
Spurs are not exactly blessed with established strikers, even with the permanent signing of Adebayor. Daniel Levy has made repeated attempts to redress that weakness by striking a deal with Internacional for the Brazil international, who impressed at the Olympics, but without success. The Tottenham chairman has now turned to Leandro's compatriot Willian of Shakhtar Donetsk and has a long‑standing interest in the Porto playmaker João Moutinho.
5. Joey Barton, Queens Park Rangers
Ports, as well as Twitter, have kept Queens Park Rangers' deposed captain occupied this summer. The midfielder trained with Fleetwood Town having been ostracised by Mark Hughes over the 12-match ban he received for helping Manchester City win the Premier League title last season, but it is now Marseille, not the Cod Army, where he hopes to reappear. Conjuring up images of Victoria Pendleton at the Olympics, his heart is already at the Vélodrome, apparently.
6. Daniel Agger, Liverpool
"Agger was never a target," said Roberto Mancini at Anfield on Sunday. So why include him on the list? Because Manchester City did in fact make a £20m bid for the Liverpool defender and have never completely backed away from signing the Dane. Brendan Rodgers would prefer to sell Charlie Adam, Jay Spearing and Joe Cole to fund late transfers at Anfield but has conceded the final decision, should an offer in excess of £25m arrive, may not be his.
7. John Heitinga, Everton
Across Stanley Park, the future of Everton's Dutch central defender remains uncertain and he could be used to release funds, or as part of a swap deal, by David Moyes in the final few days. Heitinga was close to joining Fenerbahce before the Turkish club made Joseph Yobo's move from Goodison Park permanent instead and he has not started the first two games despite sweeping the Player of the Year awards last season.
8. Scott Sinclair, Swansea City
Not a saga as such, just a deal that has taken Roberto Mancini longer than he would have wished but is now close to being completed. Sinclair is expected to join the champions from Michael Laudrup's swaggering Swansea City for £6.2m this week having been omitted from the Swans' 3-0 win against West Ham on Saturday. Whether that will satisfy a manager who wanted players such as Javi Martínez and Daniele De Rossi this summer is another matter.
9. Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle United
Having sold Alex Song to Barcelona and lost out to Liverpool in the race for Nuri Sahin, Arsène Wenger is looking to strengthen his central midfield options in the coming days. The Arsenal manager denied claims that he wants Newcastle's Cheik Tioté at the weekend but continues to be linked with Tioté's French team-mate. Alan Pardew stated at the end of last season that Newcastle were vulnerable to big money offers from Champions League clubs but has survived unscathed so far.
10. Michael Owen, Unattached
And finally, where will one of the finest goalscorers of his era get to show that his talk of still being in love with the game, of still having something to offer in the Premier League, is not just talk? Owen, available on a free after his release from Manchester United, has spoken to several clubs. Stoke City want him, he wants Everton, and David Moyes has other targets but is worried about the depth of his squad. This has "last-minute move to boyhood club" all over it.
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