Transfer poker

Gold and glory are the two main reasons the best players leave clubs where they've had success. And in the past, it's been considered a given that stars who've excelled in the Bundesliga would want to move to leagues with more cash to splash and better chances of contending for European soccer's ultimate prize, the Champions League title.

But that may no longer be so, as the case of Edin Dzeko shows.

If there's anyone playing in Germany who deserves both a raise and a better team, it's the Wolfsburg and Bosnian national striker. He leads the Bundesliga in goals scored after 30 weeks of play and has been linked with top clubs from all over the continent.

AC Milan, a boyhood favorite of Dzeko, is considered the frontrunner, although Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid also seem to be interested.

The problem is the price tag. The Bosnian's value is currently rated at 25 million euros ($34 million), but reports vary as to the clause in his contract that would allow the Bosnian to leave the Wolves, with the highest estimates running to 40 million euros.

That may open the door for another suitor, Bayern Munich. The Bavarians are one of the few clubs that can both afford Dzeko and are still alive in the Champions League and atop their national table.

So if Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi fails to pony up the dough, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 24-year-old striker decide that a less distant move to Bayern would get him further in the near future.

The waiting game

Mesut Oezil is a player who knows what he wants. Despite growing up near Gelsenkirchen, the midfield speedster left Schalke for Werder Bremen in 2008, after the Royal Blues refused to guarantee him more playing time. And he's thus far declined to extend his contract with Bremen, saying that competing in the Champions League is his main priority.

Werder will be forced to sell if the 22-year-old midfielder, whose current deal expires next season, does not resign. Both Arsenal and Manchester City have been reported to be in hot pursuit.

But signs are growing that Oezil may be keeping the doors to Bremen open. Part of the reason is probably that, given German teams' success this year in the Champions and Europa Leagues, the Bundesliga looks a decent bet to overtake the Italian Serie A in the UEFA rankings.

That would mean an extra qualification spot in the Champions League for German clubs. Moreover, after a torrid first half of the season, Oezil has cooled off considerably, suggesting he may need more time to develop before a move to England.

So if Bremen, currently in fifth, can move up a couple of spots in the table, it's easy to imagine Oezil deciding that an extension would be in his best interest after all since in the future Bremen will have an easier time qualifying for European soccers premier club competition.

National ambitions

Everyone agrees that among goalkeepers Schalke's Manuel Neuer is one of Europe's top prospects. Manchester United are one big club with a long-term need at that position so, not surprisingly, the two names have been linked virtually all season.

The 24-year-old Neuer has to balance two considerations. On the one hand, he would like to raise his profile and supplant Rene Adler as number one in the German national team - that would speak for a move abroad. On the other, Neuer has never played anywhere but in Schalke and seems as though he would face problems, linguistically and culturally, adapting to a new league.

The compromise solution would be a move within Germany, and Bayern, who also have a long-term need between the posts, would seem to provide just that.

Kevin Kuranyi, on the other hand, will definitely not be going to Bayern. But he has reportedly attracted the interest of Juventus, a handful of second-tier clubs in England and Besiktas and Galatasaray in Turkey.

The Schalke striker's contract expires at the end of this season, and at the age of 28, he's looking for a raise Schalke cannot afford.

On the other hand, Kuranyi is also looking for a way back into the German national side. He's made an astonishing comeback under Schalke coach Felix Magath, and with the exceptions of Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff, German strikers have rarely fared spectacularly well abroad.

So Kuranyi's decision could well come down to a choice between club money and county honors.

Madrid on hold

The one Bundesliga star who looked certain to move elsewhere, Bayern's Franck Ribery, now seems like a fairly decent bet to stay put.

Last season, the crafty Frenchman was clearly dissatisfied with the chaos in Munich under former coach Juergen Klinsmann, and repeated reports surfaced that he had agreed terms with Real Madrid.

Now Ribery's future is up in the air. His current deal runs out in 2011, and he's remaining tight-lipped over the future, saying only that he wants a five-year contract next time around.

If Bayern fail to resign Ribery, they'll have to sell him in the summer to recoup some of their investment. But the arguments for him to stay are growing.

Since Arjen Robben has arrived, Bayern can legitimately argue that they are once again among the top clubs in Europe, if not part of the absolute elite. And they are financially sound in contrast to some of the competition from England, Spain and Italy.

Robben himself had trouble getting playing time in Madrid, and Ribery might question whether the same fate would befall him. Moreover, with Real rivals Barcelona currently fielding the strongest squad on the planet, a move to Madrid would not guarantee titles, even on the national level.

And if Ribery does put his faith in Bayern, it would be a sign that not all of football's elite players view the Bundesliga as a springboard to bigger and better things.

Author: Jefferson Chase
Editor: Chuck Penfold