Love Island: Equating Each Romance From the TV Show With a Summer Transfer Saga

With very little football to keep us occupied over the summer, many of us have been glued to our screens at 9pm every night to watch a group of strangers in their 20s try to 'find love' in an attempt to win £50,000 - and the resulting fame, fortune and, most importantly, Instagram followers that come with it. 

While there is entertainment value in Tommy Fury's second-rate cooking skills (ketchup and mayo on cheese on toast, anyone?!), Love Island's appeal mainly centres around the relationships in the villa, whether they be love triangles, the rare occasion where a couple genuinely seem to like each other or - in a twisted way - a series of rejections for the unfortunate individual (I'm looking at you, Anton). 

With an absence of the non-stop football we are used to nowadays, the summer also turns our attention to the next best thing - the transfer window. Every major transfer rumour draws our attention, and we become obsessed with our club signing the shiniest new toy, just to get one up on our rivals. 

So, why not combine the two? Let's take a lot at six Love Island romances and their summer transfer saga equivalents. 

Molly-Mae (Matthijs de Ligt) 

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When Molly-Mae entered the villa on day four she immediately turned heads, with Tommy and Anton both keen to pursue her. A third party even entered the equation on day seven, when Danny came in and was told that he was 'her type'. It seems a long time ago, now that she's with Tommy, but at the time she was very much enjoying all the attention she was getting. 

Similarly, De Ligt is hot property this summer, with European giants Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United all battling it out for the 19-year-old (they're the same age too!). The Dutchman will likewise be hoping that he finds the perfect match for him.

Curtis (Eriksen) & Amy (Spurs)

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This past week, Curtis shocked the nation by admitting that he was not as keen on Amy as he had been pretending to be, and that his head had been turned by new girls entering the villa. While Amy was away at Casa Amor, declaring her love of her 'half-boyfriend' to the girls, the previously seemingly flawless Curtis was trying to 'crack on' with Jourdan. 

He got 'pied' by the model, however, who chose to 'get to know' Danny instead. With egg on his face, Curtis begrudgingly re-coupled with Amy, with the relationship between the two almost irreparable. 

Parallels can be drawn with Christian Eriksen's claim of wanting to leave Tottenham to join Real Madrid. Los Blancos, however, instead signed Eden Hazard, and look keener on Paul Pogba than the Dane. Awkward. 

Anna (Neymar) & Jordan (Barcelona)

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Having arrived in Casa Amor before setting her sights on Ovie, it seemed like Anna was over Jordan and whatever it was they had. The 6'7 professional basketball player Ovie was '100% her type on paper', and she was immediately talking about a potential future together. 

However, upon returning to the main villa, she saw that Jordan had not re-coupled, and that he  had his sights set on her and her alone. Over the past couple of days, she has become closer with the Mancunian again, and has admitted to there being better 'chemistry' with him than Ovie. 

The story feels familiar, with Neymar and Barcelona again interested in each other this summer, the Brazilian having flirted with the newer, more fashionable Paris Saint-Germain for the past couple of years.

Tom (Griezmann) & Maura (Barcelona)

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Tom provided arguably the moment of the series so far - and made himself look like an absolute fool in the process. Having become increasingly close to Maura, she had an opportunity to take somebody to the 'hideaway' - and chose the Yorkshire man. 

However, just as they were about to go upstairs, Tom said something completely unnecessary and inappropriate in front of the lads - which she overheard, funnily enough. At that point it was game over. 

Similarly, Griezmann has become growingly linked to Barcelona each summer, so much so that the Frenchman directly told Atletico Madrid fans that he was going to leave the club - his number seven shirt has even be taken by new recruit Joao Felix. Barcelona, however, might just change their mind, and, with nothing signed yet, Griezmann may be left with egg on his face. 

Tommy (Ndombele) & Molly-Mae (Spurs)

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With Tommy and Molly-Mae set on each for a while, Lucie - who had her opportunity with Tommy at the start of the show, but hesitated - decided it was fine to confess her feelings to Tyson Fury's half-brother, who had to let her down gently. 

Manchester United wanted Ndombele but needed more time to sort out Pogba's future, allowing the 22-year-old to joinTottenham and enjoy Champions League football. There's a parallel there, right?

Anton (Rabiot) and Belle (Juventus)

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It's been a rough ride for Anton. With a series of rejections that include Lucie, Arabella, Molly-Mae and Maura, the Scotsman has had to develop some tough skin. Even Elma, who arrived on day ten and seemed interested in Anton, was dumped from the villa less than a week later - poor fella. 

At last, however, Anton seems to have finally found somebody to share a bed with - even if it's not the perfect match, at least it's something. 

The story shares similarities to Adrien Rabiot's transfer saga, who has at last joined a club - Juventus - having desperately wanted to leave PSG for some time, being linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs at various points.