An unwanted Arsenal player appears in this ranking of the top 10 attacking midfielders who are available for transfer this summer, with Tottenham Hotspur desperately chasing a player in that position.
Thomas Frank’s side have failed to sign Morgan Gibbs-White, Ebere Eze and Nico Paz. Will any of these 10 tickle their fancy?
We also have the best available strikers, centre-backs, wingers, and defensive midfielders.
10) Fabio Vieira (Arsenal)
Arsenal want rid of Vieira, who has interest from Stuttgart. It’s gone awfully quiet and the Gunners need to make some sales before Monday’s transfer deadline.
The Portuguese playmaker cost Arsenal over £30m in the 2022 summer transfer window and he’s struggled to adapt to English football. It’s a little too physical for him, but Vieira is a talented player with immense technical ability.
9) Georgiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Ukraine international Sudakov scored 13 times in the Premier Liga last season and remains one of Europe’s most highly rated young midfielders.
He’s been billed as the next big Shakhtar sale ever since Mykhaylo Mudryk left for Chelsea in January 2023, and it’s genuinely surprising that move hasn’t materialised yet. A forgettable Euro 2024 might have cooled interest, but Sudakov responded with a stellar season for the Ukrainian Cup winners.
Even more surprising: Shakhtar finished third in the league in 2024/25 behind invincible champions(!) Dynamo Kyiv and FC Oleksandriya.
8) Paul Nebel (Mainz)
An unknown quantity to most, no doubt, Nebel was on the scoresheet in the Under-21 European Championship final for Germany against England, but could not prevent his nation from losing in extra time.
The 22-year-old might’ve got sent off in Mainz’s Bundesliga opening fixture against FC Cologne, but he’s really good, we promise.
7) Marco Asensio (Paris Saint-Germain)
After a successful six months on loan at Aston Villa, Asensio’s future is unclear. He isn’t in Luis Enrique’s plans and a move to Turkey collapsed early on this summer. It’s surprising that no Premier League clubs are in for him, considering his performances at Villa Park.
A loan move will suit most interested clubs, with the Spaniard earning a cool £300,000 per week in Paris, including bonuses. Mad money, that. He’s out of contract next summer though.
6) Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester)
Leicester were utterly awful in 2024/25 but El Khannouss is clearly a very talented footballer. At just 21, he won’t want to waste time playing in the Championship — though if he does stay, he might well end up with 20 goals and 20 assists.
The Foxes paid around £18m for the Moroccan last summer and will likely want at least double to sell him. Crystal Palace were reportedly close to signing him, but a deal has collapsed. It’s anyone’s guess where he ends up now.
5) Kang-in Lee (Paris Saint-Germain)
Surely available for the right price, Kang would improve most starting XIs in the Premier League.
That’s not to say every player here outside the Premier League should move to the Premier League, because there are other leagues than the Premier League that these non-Premier League players can play in. Apparently.
4) Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)
Having cleared his name of gambling offences, Brazilian maestro Paqueta will be able to enjoy his football once again, but he might not do so at West Ham. Reports say he can leave the Hammers for £25m, and if the buying club gets him at his best, that would be one of the bargains of the window.
3) Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
Elliott does not want another season as a bit-part player at Anfield. He said in June:
“I’m coming into an age now where I’m 22, I’m going to be 23 next season. I don’t really want to be wasting years on my career because it’s a short career. I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that’s to go somewhere else, then it’s a decision that I’m going to have to make… but most importantly, it’s just about what’s best for my career.”
So he’s off, then.
Elliott has never nailed down a starting role at Liverpool, so it’s unclear how he’d adapt to being the main man elsewhere. But we’re fairly confident he’ll do well. His England Under-21 performances at this summer’s European Championship have been fantastic as well.
F365 SAYS: Harvey Elliott isn’t good enough for Liverpool, which is one reason he’s perfect for Man Utd
2) Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Villa fans might deny he’s available, and they’re probably right, but silly, silly money would tempt the club into a significant sale to further ease Profit and Sustainability worries after Jacob Ramsey’s departure.
Rogers has been electric in 2025. He scored a Champions League hat-trick against Celtic in January and grabbed eight goal contributions in 10 league games between February and March.
Arsenal were also linked, though it’s desperate Spurs who are the most likely to land the England international.
Rogers can play on the left, but his best position is in the 10, where his pace, strength and dribbling cause chaos.
1) Xavi Simons (Leipzig)
Despite an underwhelming 2024/25 campaign for Simons and Leipzig, the Netherlands playmaker is the subject of plenty of transfer speculation, and rumours of a move to Chelsea are strong. Again, Arsenal were previously linked, but it’s their London rivals in the driving seat, having been assisted by Mikel Arteta taking Noni Madueke off their hands for around £50m.
After Leipzig failed to qualify for the Champions League, Simons wants to leave, only a year after joining permanently from PSG. The German club have already made the huge sale of Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United, but the Dutchman is still expected to leave. Even if the Chelsea rumours have gone quiet.
Simons wasn’t great last season. However, his numbers do a lot of talking: 43 goals and 34 assists in his last 124 club games. Whoever signs him is getting a bona fide star. Cole Palmer and Simons would be some link-up. But Spurs have to hijack this one.