We kind of feel the "shock" meme is borderline passé at this stage. Even so, a generally surprising story will still illicit a flood of them across the internet.
This may have been taken to a whole new level this evening.
That's because verified Portuguese Wunderkind, "The Next Ronaldo", Renato Sanches is set to join Swansea on loan from Bayern Munich. There was interest from Liverpool among other big clubs for the 20 year old in recent week, but his likely move to join Paul Clement's relegation battle in South Wales is the kind of shock the internet meme makers are made for.
Renato Sanches
2016: Signs for Bayern Munich for £31M
2017: Loaned to Swansea pic.twitter.com/Hx5Alrhguc— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 30, 2017
Renato Sanches to Swansea
Krychowiak to West Brom
Ruben Neves to Wolverhampton pic.twitter.com/U4ULgqrcq6— Viktor Fagerström (@ViktorFagerLFC) August 30, 2017
swansea agree to sign renato sanches meanwhile we're closing in on danny drinkwater ..... pic.twitter.com/hUdhVob1Gd
— Tom Clifford ⭐⭐ (@tomcliffordcfc) August 30, 2017
Rumours of Renato Sanches to Swansea.... pic.twitter.com/rpQxgXUwlM
— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) August 28, 2017
Renato Sanches having medical ahead of move to ..... Swansea City pic.twitter.com/20q61CUpJa
— Craig Smith (@CraigySmiffy) August 30, 2017
By far the best of all though, is one that had a little bit of effort behind it. Good job Dream Team FC. You win the Renato Sanches to Swansea Reaction sweepstakes.
Bayern Munich: "We've had an offer in from a club called Swansea..."
Renato Sanches: pic.twitter.com/tlyCogAGEV— Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) August 30, 2017
It is one of the stranger moves of the Transfer Window if the proposed move does go through, but it also make a lot of sense.
While Liverpool were linked with a move for the Portugeuse wonderkid this week, it makes sense that Bayern Munich would want to give their investment time to work out before shipping him off permanently.
They paid €35 million for the player just last summer, a fee that could rise to as much as €80 million in the future.
He hasn't made much of an impact in Bundesliga since his signing from Benfica last year, but a year under a good coach in Paul Clement, and playing an important role in a Premier League team could be the making of him. Nobody knows Clement better than Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti who worked with the Swansea manager at Real Madrid and in Munich last season.
And if you haven't thought about it already, he's immediately one for the Fantasy Football waiver wire!
