With the summer transfer window about to kick off, people ask me what is the transfer window be like for an agent? Do you know any inside information on big deals? Have you ever met Mino Raiola?
Clearly there is massive interest in the transfer window from fans globally not just to see what new arrivals and departures their club will have in store but also what the mega clubs worldwide will be doing. My name is Cesare Marchetti, and I have recently written an Amazon eBook called "Chasing Mino: Inside the world of a football agent" where I discuss the role and life of a football agent, as well as profiling super agents Mino Raiola and Jorge Mendes.
Mino Raiola captures the attention of the football world like no other agent due to his unique style, superstar client list and the massive deals he has brokered over the years.
Just think of Paul Pogba joining Manchester United for £90m in 2016 - with Mino allegedly pocketing £20m from the deal and then buying a mansion in Miami once owned by Al Capone. Mino is always grabbing headlines.
What does the summer transfer window hold in store for Raiola and his clients? The most pressing client for Mino will be Mario Balotelli who is out of contract at OGC Nice - where he has rebuilt his reputation after several poor seasons in Italy and England.
Mario has also just earned a recall to the Italian national team due to his form in France. With plenty of Serie A clubs showing interest and the player being a free transfer, Mino will no doubt be in a strong position to negotiate a lucrative deal for both himself and Mario, as there won't be a shortage of European clubs interested.
AC Milan and Italian national team teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will also have a summer of attracting interest with both PSG and Real Madrid rumoured to be interested. However, with a massive 6 million euro per season contract at AC Milan, Donnarumma will not come cheap. If Mino manages to broker a deal for Donnarumma this summer it could well result in the teenager becoming the world's most expensive goalkeeper.
There is also speculation over Raiola's star client Pogba, with Pep Guardiola claiming that Mino had offered him in January. If Pogba were to become available, Real Madrid would be a potential destination.
With Cristiano Ronaldo announcing after the Champions League final that he may leave Real Madrid and with the World Cup, you can be sure that this will be an exciting, fast paced and surprising transfer window. Add to the mix that both Serie A and the English Premier League windows are closing earlier this summer you can guarantee some panic buying and inflated transfer fees.
The World Cup always catapults several players into overnight sensations, just look at Enner Valencia at the last World Cup, he came from nowhere to capture the interest of clubs around Europe, albeit his time in England was unsuccessful.
If Ronaldo leaves Real Madrid, could Mo Salah be arriving at the Bernabeu? Will Manchester United spend big and sign Gareth Bale? Will Chelsea back their new manager with a war chest? Will Daniel Levy give Mauricio Pochettino a massive transfer budget to make a title push? Whatever the answers to these questions are, you can expect a record breaking summer.
My summer will be equally as busy with some of my clients likely to move to clubs in Scotland, Poland, Scandinavia and Italy. Although not as big as the multi million-pound deals that Raiola will be brokering this summer, they are every bit as important.
In my book I discuss what life as a football agent is like, taking you inside the world of a football agent and answering the questions everyone wants to know.
It is available on amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Mino-Inside-World-Football-ebook/dp/B07D5GLCJN
