We haven’t even completed the 2024/25 season yet, but we’ve already seen various big-name stars like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jonathan Tah complete transfers to new clubs. All signs point to this summer being chock-full of seismic transactions in the football world – today, we’re taking a look at five potential transfers that could be completed in the summer 2025 window.
Liam Delap to Chelsea
It has been a sensational week for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. On Sunday, they defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football, and on Wednesday, they prevailed with a comeback 4-1 win against Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League Final. Back in the winners’ circle and back in Europe’s premier competition for the first time in three years, Chelsea will have even more clout and firepower to retool their squad this summer, and it seems they may already have tied up their first signing of the window in Liam Delap.
The son of ex Stoke City defender Rory Delap, Delap cut his teeth on loan at Championship sides Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City before making the move to Ipswich Town, who were returning to the top-flight after 22 years. Whilst he wasn’t able to keep the Tractor Boys afloat in the Premier League, he nevertheless emerged as one of the breakout stars of the season with 12 goals, and he looks set to battle Nicolas Jackson for the starting #9 position at Stamford Bridge. Capable of holding up defenders with his back to goal, making cunning runs in behind the backline, and testing the goalkeeper with a powerful strike, Delap has attracted the interest of various Premier League sides, but it seems that Chelsea’s recent success may very well have given them the upper hand in the race to sign him for his £30 million release clause.
Alvaro Carreras to Real Madrid
After a dismal campaign that saw them miss out on the league title and Copa del Rey to Barcelona and exit the Champions League quarterfinals in humiliating fashion to Arsenal, Real Madrid have wasted no time in reshaping their squad ahead of the 2025/26 season. Carlo Ancelotti has departed Real Madrid for the second time, calling it quits after four years at the helm and taking over with the Brazilian national team, with Xabi Alonso replacing him as their new manager. Luka Modrić, Jesús Vallejo and Lucas Vázquez will depart the club upon the expiry of their contracts, whilst Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen has arrived for €59.50m. And whilst they were set to sign him on a free transfer, they decided to pay Liverpool €10m for Trent Alexander-Arnold to incorporate him prior to the Club World Cup.
Los Blancos look set to take their spending over the €100m mark with the incoming arrival of Alvaro Carreras, who looks set to pen a five-year deal. Carreras played at Real Madrid’s academy between 2017 and 2020 before joining Manchester United’s academy. Unable to break into the first team, the Spaniard tried his luck on loan at Preston, Granada and Benfica before joining the latter on a permanent deal and emerging as a vital cog at the left-back position. A balanced left back who is undaunted in 1v1 situations and who also provides a consistent source of chance creation via his crossing, Carreras has everything it takes to follow in the footsteps of Marcelo and Roberto Carlos and become Real’s next legendary left back.
Matheus Cunha to Manchester United
Manchester United fans will be hoping to turn the page on a catastrophic 2024/25 season that saw them go trophyless and finish 15th in the Premier League table. With no European football for next season, United’s finances will undoubtedly take a hit, but that hasn’t stopped them from reportedly triggering the £62.5m release clause of Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha. Born in Brazil, Cunha made the move to Europe in 2017 and bounced around from Sion to Leipzig to Hertha Berlin to Atlético Madrid before eventually joining Wolves in January 2023, where he has since emerged as the club’s attacking talisman with 33 goals and 15 assists in 92 appearances.
Goals only go so far as to describe Cunha’s importance, however. This is a player who has the physique and velocity to drive his team forward, skipping past opponents and leading the charge on the counter, and whose powerful running, perceptive awareness, and smart finishing have seen him emerge as a fan favourite at Molineux. It remains to be seen where Ruben Amorim will utilise Cunha. He could be unleashed as the centre forward ahead of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, but with Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes being linked with summer exits, he could also make an impact as a left-sided winger or a #10. One thing’s for sure, though: he has everything to be an indispensable figure in attack for the Red Devils.
Florian Wirtz to Liverpool
It’s out with the old and in with the new at Anfield. After parting ways with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool are on the lookout for a new creative talisman, and they may have just found their man in Florian Wirtz. Having developed in Cologne’s academy, Wirtz joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 where he became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history and emerged as one of the finest talents in Germany. However, his path to the top was thrown into jeopardy after tearing his ACL in March 2022. Wirtz spent 10 months away from football before returning with a vengeance, steering Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic double and being voted the Bundesliga Player of the 2023/24 Season.
Having managed 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 appearances in 2023/24, Wirtz followed that up with 16 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances in 2024/25, prompting the interest of various European heavyweights like Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Ultimately, though, it seems he will make the move to Merseyside after the reigning Premier League champions submitted a club-record bid of €130 million for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder. After Tah and Alonso, it’s only a matter of time before Wirtz becomes the next big name to depart the BayArena, and he could be set to reunite with Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong.
Martin Zubimendi to Arsenal
One year after signing Mikel Merino for £31.6m, Arsenal look set to add yet another central midfielder from Real Sociedad with Martin Zubimendi linked with a €60 million move to North London. Despite heavy interest from Real Madrid, the Gunners have moved quickly to secure one of Spanish football’s top talents, having previously won the Copa del Rey with La Real as well as the Euros with Spain. The San Sebastian native has spent the past 14 years attached to his boyhood club and even snubbed Liverpool to remain with Real Sociedad in 2024, but it’s seemingly only a matter of time before he starts a new adventure in the UK.
A multifaceted deep-lying playmaker, the Basque midfielder is skilled at orchestrating possession from deep areas, breaking the lines with ease and delivering accurate through balls. He also has the positional awareness to block off passing lanes, jostle his opponent for the ball, and make brilliantly timed interventions to win back possession. Zubimendi is well-equipped to become a vital cog and replace Jorginho and potentially Thomas Partey as their new defensive anchor in midfield, and it’s no wonder that Mikel Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta have identified the 26-year-old as the ideal building block to get their summer business underway.
Related Topics