Let the chaos recommence.
It’s time for the big spenders to reopen those purse strings and splash the cash, with the summer transfer window open for business – again.
Premier League and EFL clubs will be able to wheel and deal until 7pm BST on Monday, 1 September and millions – perhaps even billions – more will be spent. Indeed, this summer’s total outlay could well exceed last year’s £1.96billion.
There are 11 more weeks until the deadline and a host of big-name players will be shuffled around like pieces on a chessboard, albeit for exorbitant amounts of cash.
Manchester City have been busy, recruiting Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli, while Manchester United moved quickly to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves. They also want Brentford’s Bryan Mbuemo.
So, who might be on the move over the coming weeks?
Manchester City moved quickly to snap up Ballon d’Or hopeful Rayan Cherki
Matheus Cunha joined Manchester United from Wolves in deal worth £62.5million
Bryan Mbeumo
This is rapidly turning into one of the most protracted sagas of the summer already.
Manchester United are said to remain calm and confident in their pursuit of the 25-year-old forward but they are still to agree a deal, or return with a second bid after their first offer was rebuffed. That has opened the door for Tottenham.
Spurs have just named Thomas Frank as Ange Postecoglou’s successor and a reunion with the Dane could well entice Mbeumo to Spurs instead of Old Trafford. Mbeumo himself has also tipped Frank to be a success at the North London club.
He scored 20 goals and provided eight assists in the Premier League last season and would provide United with some sorely needed firepower. Amorim’s side, after all, netted just 44 times in their 38 top-flight games – a truly dire amount.
As it stands, United look to be in the driving seat – and Mbeumo is said to still favour a move to the Red Devils – and they are set to table an improved package.
Whether that will be enough for a sale remains to be seen.
Viktor Gyokeres
I expect United supporters are already tired of hearing this name.
However, Viktor Gyokeres remains one of the most in-demand players on the transfer merry-go-round this summer, and he is widely expected to find a new club.
Arsenal have held talks with Sporting Lisbon over a move for the in-demand hitman but an agreement has not been reached and, crucially, the club have other targets.
Gyokeres has scored an incredible 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting since joining in 2023 so it’s little wonder several elite sides are fighting for his signature. Manchester United are among them, but the ace is understood to favour a switch to the Emirates.
Despite allegedly making a gentleman’s agreement with the Swede which would allow him to leave for around £58m, Sporting are currently holding firm over their asking price. He also has a hefty £85m release clause written into his contract.
Reports have indicated that an initial £55m bid from Arsenal was rebuffed while an improved offer, worth £60m, was also turned down. Mikel Arteta is leaning toward another centre forward but Gyokeres remains on the Gunners’ shortlist.
Other strikers may get the moves they’re hoping for this summer and that in turn could free up space for Gyokeres to also secure his switch. Let’s see.
Viktor Gyokeres is on the shortlist of several Premier League sides but is keen on Arsenal
Benjamin Sesko
Another frontman stuck performing circles on this crazy striker’s carousel is Benjamin Sesko. For now, he’s in a holding pattern, waiting for a deal to be struck.
As reported by Mail Sport, Arsenal have been actively working to reach an agreement at around £70m but RB Leipzig have proven themselves tricky operators in the past. They have not made their first bid but are prioritising Sesko over their back-up picks.
Sesko, who scored 21 goals and registered six assists in all competitions last season, including four in the Champions League, is believed to want the move.
Arsenal saw previous offers for the 22-year-old turned down in May last year and during the most recent January window, but they have rekindled their interest.
According to German publication BILD, Leipzig are willing to open negotiations at £59m, although they’re hoping to rake in closer to £84m.
An offer somewhere in the middle should get the deal done.
Arsenal have made Benjamin Sesko their No 1 target and are working on an agreement
Hugo Ekitike
Mail Sport reported over the weekend that Manchester United have expressed their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike after being snubbed by Gyokeres.
Ekitike is valued at £80million and Chelsea and Liverpool are also among his admirers. However, this price tag could prove prohibitive.
The forward scored 22 goals in 45 games for Frankfurt last season and joined the Bundesliga side from PSG, who sold him for a paltry £14m in 2024.
He finished the campaign as Frankfurt’s top scorer in the German top-flight, tied with Omar Marmoush, who, of course, left for Manchester City in January.
Intriguingly, Ekitike was asked which club was his ‘favourite’ as a child and quickly responded with ‘Manchester United’. Perhaps the Theatre of Dreams beckons.
The 22-year-old is said to be open to moving to Old Trafford and it may help that Frankfurt’s sporting director, Markus Krosche, is friends with United’s head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell. Either way, this is a move to keep a close eye on.
Man United have expressed interest in Hugo Ekitike but may have to shell out £80million
Alejandro Garnacho
The winger is stuck between a rock and a hard place currently.
Told by a raging Ruben Amorim that he’d better ‘pray’ he could find a new club this summer, Alejandro Garnacho hasn’t managed to do that just yet. He is understood to prefer to stay in the Premier League but has been slapped with a £70m price tag.
Garnacho is expected to leave Manchester United after being dropped from the starting line-up for the dismal Europa League final defeat by Tottenham last month.
He subsequently branded United’s campaign ‘s***’ while his agent brother claimed he had been ‘thrown under the bus’ by head coach Amorim.
The dressing down from Amorim – and clear instruction to leave – came in front of his team-mates at United’s training ground. There are stumbling blocks to a departure, however, including the hefty asking price which deterred Bayer Leverkusen.
Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham are all believed to be keeping tabs on him.
Alejandro Garnacho was told to ‘pray’ he can find a new club by United boss Ruben Amorim
Martin Zubimendi
Arsenal supporters might be wondering what has happened on this front. Well, fear not, because everything has proceeded as expected, according to multiple reports.
Long viewed as the clear frontrunners for the midfielder, Arsenal virtually agreed a £51million deal back in January, but Real Sociedad wanted him to see out the rest of the season. Now, he is set to imminently complete his move to the Emirates.
There were reports from Spain that Real Madrid were poised to swoop in but Arsenal are said to regard the deal with Zubimendi to have been signed. It is therefore anticipated that he will link up with Mikel Arteta’s side for pre-season training.
The lengthy wait for the official announcement is reportedly due to LaLiga outfit Sociedad wanting to ratify the switch in July, purely for accounting purposes.
A product of Sociedad’s youth system, Zubimendi has gone on to play 236 times for the club, while he has also represented Spain on 17 occasions.
Zubimendi, 26, admitted he faces a ‘long summer’ and plenty of speculation over his next destination. Perhaps that talk can now be laid to rest once and for all.
Arsenal believe a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi is already done
Jack Grealish
While he is busy relaxing and soaking up the sun in Greece – and being conned into paying a supporter’s bill – Jack Grealish is also on the hunt for a new club.
An unused substitute in Manchester City’s FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace, Grealish also failed to make the squad for the final Premier League game of the season. He did not travel with his team-mates to the Club World Cup, either.
Pep Guardiola took a 27-man group out to the United States but could find no room for the winger, likely giving him time and space to find a new destination.
City shelled out a whopping £100m for him in 2021 and Grealish is still tied down for the final two years of his contract, which sees him bag around £300,000 a week.
But both Guardiola and England boss Thomas Tuchel believe he must be playing more and he will certainly not come about increased game time at the Etihad.
Serie A champions Napoli have been tipped to offer him an escape route.
Jack Grealish was left out of City’s Club World Cup squad and is likely to leave this summer
Victor Osimhen
One outsider in this summer’s odd game of musical chairs between the world’s best strikers is Victor Osimhen, who could also find himself on the move.
He looked to be closing in on joining Al-Hilal from Napoli after impressing on loan at Galatasaray, where he scored 37 goals in 41 appearances, but rejected several of their approaches. This has seen him revert back to square one.
According to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Osimhen’s dream is to play in the Premier League. Manchester United have been heavily linked with his services.
The one potential issue, especially in light of United’s financial situation, is the fact Napoli are sticking to their guns on the frontman’s £63.4m release clause. Furthermore, his wage demands are said to be exorbitant.
Rio Ferdinand is confident Osimhen is the man to solve his former club’s scoring problems, insisting: ‘He’s produced at every level he’s played at.’
That may well be true, but it does feel like clubs are prioritising other targets currently.
