Dry January is over - and now the 2024 summer transfer window promises to be epic!

Will he or won't he? That has been the question on the lips of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain fans alike over the past three years as Kylian Mbappe has continuously flirted with a move to Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid saw two mega bids rejected in 2021, and Mbappe signed a new contract at Parc des Princes the following year, but that hasn't deterred Blacos president Florentino Perez. Mbappe has so far refused to trigger the one-year extension option in his PSG deal, and is set to become a free agent in the summer, with a €30 million (£26m/$32m)-a-year package already waiting for him in the Spanish capital - according to Diario AS.

It could easily be argued that Madrid don't really need Mbappe, given how well Vinicius Junior is performing in his favoured position on the left-wing, but this is a transfer saga that will only end once the Frenchman is pictured wearing that famous white shirt. PSG have built their team around Mbappe, but they'd be better off without the constant speculation over his future, and his departure would free up room on the wage bill for two or three new stars.

It has also been reported that Mbappe still has "doubts" over leaving PSG - which is understandable given the power he enjoys on and off the pitch with the French champions. However, embarking on a new challenge would be best for the 25-year-old's development, if he really harbours ambitions to win the Ballon d'Or.

Madrid seems to be the ideal destination, although a foray into the Premier League at Liverpool can also not be ruled out at this stage. It's time for Mbappe to spread his wings.

"We knew it since last summer, the negotiations for his renewal have been long and friendly for that reason, we knew perfectly that he will go to Real Madrid, PSG or some Premier League team."

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the worst kept secret in football last month: Victor Osimhen's time at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona will soon be over, and he is likely to have his pick of Europe's elite clubs amid a shortage of top quality centre-forwards in the modern game.

The Saudi Pro League is also an option for Osimhen, who will command a transfer fee in the region of €130 million (£113/$144m), but De Laurentiis' prediction is more realistic. Napoli's ambitious goal scoring machine wants to play at the very highest level, and his qualities are ideally suited to the Premier League.

Chelsea and Arsenal are both in dire need of a proper No.9, while Manchester United could also be in the market for a new striker due to Rasmus Hojlund's frustrating start to life at Old Trafford. Osimhen has the potential to be the Gunners' answer to Erling Haaland as they seek to dethrone Manchester City, but he is also capable of having a transformative effect for Chelsea and United.

The Mbappe saga could end up having a huge impact on where Osimhen ends up, though. If the PSG star joins Real, they will have little desire to swoop for Osimhen, and the door will open for him to take the World Cup winner's spot at Parc des Princes.

The Saudi Pro League has gone global in the past 12 months - on the back of sealing an earth-shattering deal for Cristiano Ronaldo - with the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez all following the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to the Middle East. Things went quiet again in January, with former Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic the only high-profile new addition at Al-Shabab, but Saudi chiefs will be ready to spend big again in the summer.

Mohamed Salah emerged as a priority target for Al-Ittihad last year, and it has been reported that they will return with a bid exceeding £200m ($253m) for the Liverpool talisman. The Reds will, of course, be reluctant to lose Salah, but that kind of money will be very difficult to turn down, especially given the fact the 31-year-old only has a year remaining on his contract.

There are plenty of other high-profile names who could be tempted by the riches on offer in Saudi, with United duo Antony and Casemiro, Newcastle's Miguel Almiron, and even City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne among those being touted to turn their backs on European football.

Al-Nassr's new poster boy Ronaldo has claimed that the Saudi Pro League will become one of the best divisions in world football within five years, and that is not unrealistic. The huge investment in top talent isn't going to stop anytime soon - with Saudi royal family member Prince Abdullah Saad Abdulaziz Al Saud echoing Ronaldo's sentiments on CARRE: "Saudi Arabia is now the monster of the market. More stars will come. Saudi Arabia plans to become the number one nation in football.”

Bayern Munich finally replaced club legend Robert Lewandowski last summer by snapping up Harry Kane from Tottenham, and the former England international has been an instant hit in Germany, scoring 27 goals in 26 games across all competitions. But his exploits have only papered over the club's deep-rooted issues.

Thomas Tuchel has alienated club officials and fans consistently since replacing Julian Nagelsmann as manager, and there is a real risk of a mass exodus at the Allianz Arena, with a host of senior stars now into the final 18 months of their contracts, including Alphonso Davies, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Kimmich. An overhaul seems inevitable, especially if Bayern end up being pipped to the Bundesliga finishing post by Xabi Alonso's relentless Bayer Leverkusen side.

Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry have also been linked with moves away from Allianz Arena, and there will be no shortage of suitors for players of their quality. There will also be plenty of incomings, though, with Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier still on Bayern's radar along with Ajax winger Steven Bergwijn - a former Spurs team-mate of Kane's - and United defender Raphael Varane.

It's highly likely that Bayern will be the busiest elite European club in the summer window, and it will be fascinating to see how their squad looks once the 2024-25 season gets underway. Kane has walked into a mess, but a new sporting director will be in place in the form of Max Eberl come April, which could mark the beginning of an exciting new era.

When the Glazer family officially put United up for sale in November 2022, there was a collective sigh of relief around Old Trafford. Supporters have long blamed the American owners for allowing standards on the pitch to slip while taking hundreds of millions out of the club in dividends, and for an all too brief moment, it seemed like there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.

It soon became clear that the Glazers were never going to agree a full sale of the club, though, as they started looking for minority investors capable of taking over football operations. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS eventually purchased a 25 percent stake in the club, with a view to potentially completing a full takeover in a few years' time.

This is not exactly what the fans wanted, but it has been seen as a step in the right direction, and Ratcliffe has already shown he means business. With the support of fellow INEOS chiefs Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean Claude-Blanc, a revolution is now underway at Old Trafford, and Man City's chief football operations officer will soon be joining the cause.

Omar Berrada has taken the bold decision to swap guaranteed success at the Etihad Stadium for a new project on the red side of Manchester, with United confirming the 46-year-old as their new CEO on January 20. Berrada played a key role in transfers at City and will be expected to hold similar influence at Old Trafford, where the recruitment department has been failing miserably for the best part of a decade.

Ratcliffe is determined to overhaul United's transfer policy and clear out the deadwood - namely stragglers and flop signings such as Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho and Antony - while it has been reported he is also targeting four major signings. Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is said to be top of the list, but they also want a 'Kane-level' striker, and two new defenders.

Whether current manager Erik ten Hag will get the chance to oversee these changes remains to be seen, but mediocrity will no longer be tolerated at United, even if the Glazers are still lurking in the shadows.

As previously mentioned, there will be an opening for a new No.9 at both the Emirates Stadium and Stamford Bridge when the transfer market reopens. No one will be surprised if Chelsea and Arsenal do battle for Osimhen's signature, but these two clubs smashed their respective transfer records to sign Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice in 2023, so there is also a chance they will look at cheaper alternatives.

The standout candidate right now is Ivan Toney, who is reportedly being valued at a cool £80m ($101m) by Brentford, despite the fact he's only just returned to the pitch after an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules. Toney doesn't boast the same pedigree as Serie A winner Osimhen, but he is Premier League-proven, and has the tools to become a world-class player at a bigger club.

The 27-year-old has scored in each of his two appearances since being restored to the Brentford line-up, and looks destined for a move across London, but Arsenal may just have an edge of Chelsea. The Gunners will be able to offer Toney Champions League football (barring an unprecedented collapse in the second half of the season), while the Blues are still very much in the middle of a transitional period under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Add to that the fact Stamford Bridge is a place where goalscorers generally go to die, then Arsenal have every right to feel confident about winning this race. Chelsea won't give up the ghost given their financial might, but they may be wise to focus most of their efforts into Osimhen, or perhaps even Juventus frontman Dusan Vlahovic.

Leverkusen have not been the only surprise package in Europe's top five leagues this season, with Girona appearing from nowhere to emerge as La Liga title contenders. The Catalonia-based club have considerable resources at their disposal as part of the City Football Group (CFG) umbrella, and put them to good use by signing 10 new players last summer, including star attacking duo Savio and Artem Dovbyk.

The likes of Daley Blind, Paulo Gazzaniga and Yangel Herrera have also impressed as Michel's side have managed to pick up 55 points from their first 22 games. If Girona do go on and become Spain's equivalent to Leicester, they will have a huge task on their hands to keep hold of their best players, with City in a privileged position to steal them away - starting with Savio.

Still, Girona are way ahead of schedule with their long-term project, and have a structure in place to keep pace at the top of La Liga for years to come. It might not be quite so smooth sailing for Leverkusen, who will already be resigned to losing Alonso in the summer.

The Spaniard is the bookies' favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but he's also said to be attracting interest from Real Madrid, Bayern and PSG, having worked wonders at the BayAren in the space of just 14 months. Leverkusen are also in real danger of losing the core members of their squad, with Real Madrid on the tail of star playmaker Florian Wirtz, while Victor Boniface and Jeremie Frimpong on the radar of several Premier League clubs.

It will be a shame to see Girona and Leverkusen raided after upsetting the established order, but money talks, and they are both harbouring the kind of talent that will always rise to the very top of the game.

There will be plenty of transfer drama to keep fans on the edge of their seats in the men's game over the summer, but the women's game also promises to throw up some blockbuster deals. That is mainly because so many of the world's best female players are set to drop into the free agency pool.

Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Man City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus are just a handful of the clubs who will lose key personnel, unless they are able to agree extensions in the intervening months.

Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps seems to be stalling on signing a new deal at Old Trafford, having been a top target for Arsenal last year, and it wouldn't be a shock if she finally seals a switch to north London, especially after her recent change of agencies. On the other side of Manchester, meanwhile, Earps' England colleagues Lauren Hemp and Ellie Roebuck are also poised to jump ship - with Barcelona eyeing a move for the former and the latter desperate for a fresh start after losing her spot between the sticks to Khiara Keating.

One Lionesses star is already playing at Barca in the form of Lucy Bronze, but she's been strongly linked to clubs in the United States, and two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas has also seen questions asked over her future after suffering a major injury blow. All of this could lead to a major shift in the balance of power across the WSL, Champions League and NWSL.

Women's football can't compete with the men's in terms of transfer fees and wages just yet, but it's growing rapidly, and that gap will keep closing in the coming years. The 2024-25 season is already shaping up to be a historic one, and supporters will turn out in their thousands to see new heroes starring for their clubs once the dust settles on what is sure to be a rollercoaster summer window.