The landscape of football transfers has changed, so they tell us. A summer that was predicted to be full of nine-figure fees at the start of the year now looks completely different viewed through the haze of Coronavirus headlines and COVID-19 measures.

Football may have changed, with fewer fans now involved, but the cost of failure has, if anything gone up. Because of this, players with huge contracts and mammoth weekly wages are not the attractive prospects they once were. We’re taking a look at three men who could find a move hard to come by unless they’re prepared to take a massive pay cut.

Gareth Bale

It’s hard to argue against the footballing merits of Gareth Bale. Having helped drag Tottenham Hotspur into the Champions League Places and paved the way for their development over the last few years, Bale also earned his former employers in North London a ludicrous sum of £89.2m when he switched the Lilywhite shirt of Spurs for the… er, similarly white shirt of Los Blancos.