A rundown of the biggest Premier League transfers that could still go through this summer
Summer transfer windows in international major tournament years are always a little strange. You have the initial burst of deals once the window opens, then the odd mega deal slip through during proceedings. Once the competition - in this year’s case, the 2026 FIFA World Cup - is over, things tend to go berserk, as clubs rush to get their big deals done ahead of the new domestic season.
So far this summer, we’ve seen some seriously high profile deals completed. Chelsea and Manchester City have both spent over £100m to sign an England midfielder, going for Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson respectively. Meanwhile, Tottenham have dropped over £200m to sign three players, with a further three coming in on free transfers.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United are having a torrid time of it, missing out on two key targets to Aston Villa and Liverpool. The Reds took Victor Munoz from the Magpies’ grasp, while Villa swooped to snatch World Cup breakout star Johan Manzambi despite Newcastle previously being in pole position to get the deal done.
Brighton have, as usual, gone about their business quietly and diligently, bringing in under the radar talent in the form of Zadok Yahonna and Costinha. Arsenal have been as quiet as church mice, with their dithering over signing Rogers costing them big time. That’s all expected to change soon, however, as the Gunners prepare to sign some top quality reinforcements in a bid to retain their Premier League title.
With the new Premier League season less than a month away and the clock ticking down to the transfer window closing in early September, we’ve rounded up some of the other major deals that could go through before player trading ceases until January.
The huge Premier League deals that could still happen - Barcola to Diomande
Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford could be set to move on this summerplaceholder image
Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford could be set to move on this summer | AFP via Getty Images
Bradley Barcola - PSG: The French gem has been hotly tipped to make a move to the Premier League this summer, as he continues to struggle for game time at PSG with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia very much above him in the pecking order on the left flank. Liverpool and Arsenal are believed to have the best chance of signing the 23-year-old, whose price tag appears to be rising by the day after a strong World Cup showing.
Julian Alvarez - Atletico Madrid: Atleti have been publicly bullish in their refusal to let Alvarez join their La Liga rivals this summer, coming out on social media to slam both Barcelona and Real Madrid for alleged advances towards their top talent. However, recent reports have suggested that they might let the Argentinian forward go - if he doesn’t join a domestic rival.
This opens up the door to Arsenal, who are thought to have the best chance of landing the ex-Manchester City star. He would cost an arm and a leg, and everything else in between, but with a bit of clever accounting you could see the Gunners getting the deal done. That said, the player appears to want to stay in Spain, which could well lead to a stalemate as his club refuse to sanction his exit to direct competitor.
Marcus Rashford - Manchester United: After impressing on loan at Barcelona, it was expected that the Catalan giants would sign the England star on a permanent deal. Instead, they spent £70m on his Three Lions teammate Anthony Gordon, leaving Rashford very much in transfer limbo.
Like Alvarez and Atleti, United are far from agreeable to the prospect of their talent joining a divisional rival and harming their attempts at a title push. Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs have all recently been linked with the 28-year-old, but he just might end up staying at Old Trafford to fight for his career under Michael Carrick, who turned the club’s fortunes around last season.
Bruno Guimaraes - Newcastle United: Their transfers are getting hijacked and now their top players are jumping ship - it’s shaping up to be another long, stressful summer for Newcastle fans. With Gordon and Sandro Tonali already leaving, they’re now set to lose another top quality star - their captain, no less - in Guimaraes, signalling the end of an era.
He’s looking likely to join Arsenal, adding some serious firepower to their midfield and easing the workload on star man Declan Rice. There have been whispers of a potential rival raid from Chelsea, but all the signs are all pointing towards the Brazil international being at the Emirates Stadium at the start of next season.
Ousmane Diomande - Sporting CP: The 22-year-old has been linked with a Premier League move since he was knee-high to an N’Golo Kante, and it seems like he’s finally going to arrive in England’s top tier this summer. Nottingham Forest are said to be close to sealing the Ivorian ace on a £30m deal, after raking in the mega bucks by selling Anderson to Man City. Leeds United were linked earlier in the window before Pascal Struijk joined Brighton, but they no longer appear to be in the running.
The huge Premier League deals that could still happen - Scott to Stones
RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande is wanted by Liverpool and Arsenal - but he could well join PSG insteadplaceholder image
RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande is wanted by Liverpool and Arsenal - but he could well join PSG instead | AFP via Getty Images
Alex Scott - Bournemouth: Chelsea reportedly had a £64m bid rejected for the versatile midfielder earlier this week, and interest in the 22-year-old looks set to continue growing as the summer transfer window progresses. The Cherries are standing their ground and refusing to let their star man go, despite intense interest from the Blues along with Arsenal and Man United.
To complicate matters, Scott is said to have turned down a contract extension, with the England under-21 international unwilling to commit his future to the south coast side. Such extensions are often made with a gentleman’s agreement that the player can leave the following season - a compromise that usually sees the club ultimately get more money for their talent. Amid the current stalemate, it will be fascinating to see whether the player or the club folds first.
John Stones - Free agent: After leaving Man City upon the expiry of his contract, the 32-year-old veteran defender is hot property. Arsenal and Chelsea look set to go head-to-head to sign the England star. The Gunners are in need of short-term cover for William Saliba, who suffered a serious back injury while at the World Cup with France. The Blues, meanwhile, desperately need some experience in a squad that’s at a steak tartar level of rawness.
Lewis Hall - Newcastle United: Surely Newcastle couldn’t lose yet another key player, could they? It looks like they could. The ex-Chelsea prospect was believed to have had an offer to return to Stamford Bridge, but instead appears to have opted to join Manchester United, solving their long-standing need to sign a new left-back. Personal terms are said to have been agreed, but convincing the Magpies to sell could be a tricky business.
Yan Diomande - RB Leipzig: This transfer saga has been rumbling on for months now. Liverpool were the hot favourites to sign Diomande as their first-choice Mohamed Salah replacement. Then Paris Saint-Germain waded in, and appeared to have turned the player’s head. However, PSG are now said to be getting cold feet due to RB Leipzig’s £100m+ asking price, which is said to have opened the door to both the Reds and Arsenal.
Eli Junior Kroupi - Bournemouth: The Cherries continue to pay the price for their stellar recruitment strategy, with another of their top talents now on the radar of the Premier League elite after just one season in England’s top flight. The usual suspects - Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs - are all believed to be in the mix, but Bournemouth look set to dig their heels in as they’ve done with Scott.