Saturday, November 9, 2024

Premier League transfers: A guide to what every club wants to do this summer

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What does your club want to do in the summer transfer window? Sky Sports has the lowdown on each team’s plans…

Arsenal



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Riccardo Calafiori is a target for Arsenal

Arsenal are looking for a striker in the main this summer and they are looking for a younger profile; someone they can develop and mould in Mikel Arteta’s image. It means they have turned their attention away from players like Ivan Toney and Alexander Isak. One player they were interested in was Joshua Zirkzee, but he has now signed for Manchester United.

Arsenal are also thought to be in the market for a new left-sided defender and have been talking to Bologna about Riccardo Calafiori, while a new central midfielder is also likely amid uncertainty over Thomas Partey‘s future as he enters the last year of his contract.

Other business at the Emirates will depend on outgoings, with a new back-up goalkeeper possible amid doubts over the future of Aaron Ramsdale. They have an interest in Wolves’ Dan Bentley and could add 18-year-old Tommy Setford after agreeing a €1m (£840k) deal with Ajax.

Several other fringe players are also facing uncertain futures such as Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe. Nuno Tavares has joined Lazio on loan with an obligation to buy, while Sevilla have signed Albert Sambi Lokonga.

Aston Villa



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Jaden Philogene attracted plenty of interest this summer

Villa were one of the busiest ahead of the PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Rules) deadline on June 30, signing five players while selling three including star midfielder Douglas Luiz to Juventus. As part of that deal Villa brought in winger Samuel Iling-Junior and midfielder Enzo Barrenechea plus around £21m in cash.

They also did a deal with Everton to sign young striker Lewis Dobbin while midfielder Tim Iroegbunam went the other way to Goodison Park, and they brought in Chelsea’s left-back Ian Maatsen for £35m while selling 18-year-old Omari Kellyman to Stamford Bridge. Ross Barkley also re-joined the club from relegated Luton.

Since moving into the new financial year, Villa have reached a buy-back deal for Jaden Philogene and he will undergo a medical early this week before completing his return. Villa will continue to remain open to improving their squad until the deadline, and they have been looking at more midfielder players including Everton’s Amadou Onana. A potential swap deal involving Jacob Ramsey to Tottenham and Giovani Lo Celso moving back under the management of Unai Emery was mooted earlier in the summer.

Cameron Archer‘s future remains unclear after he returned from Sheffield United while there is interest from elsewhere, including Chelsea and West Ham, in Jhon Duran.

Brentford



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Ivan Toney in action against Slovakia

Brentford want to be busy in the market, eyeing up a new left-back, both left and right centre-backs, a central midfielder, and at least one winger.

They have already signed their new centre-forward Igor Thiago from Club Brugge for £30m in January, with a view to potentially losing Ivan Toney this summer, although that is by no means a given and there is nothing live on the striker as the Euros finishes.

At left-back, one of the players that Brentford are interested in is Luton Town’s Alfie Doughty. Sepp van den Berg at Liverpool is a centre-back who is on their long list, while they have looked at a host of wingers over the last 18 months including Max Beier, Johan Bakayoko, Jonathan Rowe and Assane Diao.

In midfield, they were one of the clubs who wanted to sign Kiernan Dewsbury Hall before he joined Chelsea, while they came close to getting Archie Gray, only for him to move to Tottenham instead at the last minute, just a few weeks ago.

Brighton



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Yankuba Minteh moved to Brighton this summer

Brighton are in a healthy financial position, making a £122m profit in 2023-23, which will allow them to invest in improving the team under new manager Fabian Hurzeler. As ever, they will be taking a data-led approach to choosing targets and focusing on young talent to develop into marquee players.

They have been busy already, signing four players including winger Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle, Feyenoord midfielder Mats Wieffer and two youngsters – Malick Youlcaye from Swedish side Gothenburg and Amario Cozier-Duberry after he left Arsenal.

The club are thought to want a right back given Tariq Lamptey’s injury problems and the dependable Joel Veltman not getting any younger. One of the players they like a lot is Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters, but there is competition from West Ham and Spurs.

They still want another first-team central midfielder and there are several long-term targets that remain in the frame including Inter Miami’s Diego Gomez. Another winger is possible too, with long-term interest in Leeds’ Crysencio Summerville, although it is worth remembering that Brighton already have Ibrahim Osman coming in from FC Nordsjaelland.

Brighton will be hoping Germany international Pascal Gross rejects interest from Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, with a year remaining on his contract. Brighton may also look at signing another young centre-back.

Bournemouth

Dominic Solanke has been linked with a move this summer – watch his goal that sparked Bournemouth’s incredible comeback against Luton

Heavy investment from owner Bill Foley in the last three windows has put the club in a comfortable position and they believe only a few tweaks are all that is needed rather than major surgery, unless big offers for key players are too attractive to turn down.

For example, there is a clause in Dominic Solanke‘s contract for around £65m if a big Premier League club comes in, while there is interest from elsewhere in Milos Kerkez, Max Aarons and Philip Billing.

Southampton approached Bournemouth for Aarons but were unsuccessful, so have instead signed AZ Alkmaar right-back Yukinari Sugawara.

In terms of incomings, with Kieffer Moore also likely to leave, a new young striker is possible, while another goalkeeper is still on the agenda even though they signed Alex Paulsen. The club are also looking at strengthening at centre-back and right-back.

Chelsea

Chelsea sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester. Check out his best goals and assists from 23/24 in the Championship.

In a repeat of every window since Todd Boehly’s acquisition of the club, Chelsea have already been one of the busiest clubs and they are not done yet.

They first signed Tosin on a free transfer from Fulham to replace Thiago Silva, and then Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall arrived as the first substantial financial outlay at £35m.

Chelsa have also been bringing in a host of promising young talent both for their own squad and with the idea of loaning them out to sister clubs, with Omari Kellyman arriving from Villa, Estevao Willian from Palmeiras, and Marc Guiu from Barcelona.

This past week has seen them agree deals for two young centre-backs, with Renato Veiga arriving from Basel and Aaron Anselmino will arrive from Boca Juniors in December.

The club are still looking to make some significant additions in attack, with interest in Max Beier and Jhon Duran, but they are unlikely to make moves for Spain stars Dani Olmo and Nico Williams. Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion is also a target but he is expected to stay.

Meanwhile there are a number of players whose futures are uncertain, chief among them England midfielder Conor Gallagher, who has interest from Tottenham, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid. Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja are also expected to go elsewhere.

Crystal Palace



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Eberechi Eze is a player attracting interest this summer

Manager Oliver Glasner is looking to continue playing a back-three next season so new centre-backs – both right-footed and left-footed – are on the agenda, as well as new wing-backs. Centre-back Chadi Riad has already arrived from Real Betis for £14m as the left-footed addition.

The system is also in need of new attackers to play behind the striker, especially after Michael Olise was sold to Bayern Munich. They have signed Lazio’s Japan international Daichi Kamada and also have interest in Marcus Edwards. Jaden Philogene was also one they wanted but he has returned to Villa.

Other clubs are also interested in Eberechi Eze this summer, so Palace are likely to need further attacking additions, and another striker is thought to be under consideration too.

Everton



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Jarrad Branthwaite

Everton’s financial problems continue into this summer so they are likely to need to sell a major player to make significant investment back in the squad. Interest has been shown in Jarrad Branthwaite, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Amadou Onana in the main, with United bidding for Branthwaite more than once.

Selling Ben Godfrey to Atalanta and Lewis Dobbin to Villa, with Tim Iroegbunam joining from Villa, helped sort any PSR issues before Juen 30, and the move into the next year’s accounting period allowed for the purchase of Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille.

For the time being Everton have had to solidify what they have, so a new contract has been given to Ashley Young while Dele is training with the first team amid discussions over a potential new contract, but the club will continue due diligence on other potential new arrivals in case of a takeover or major sale.

Fulham



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Joao Palhinha celebrates after equalising for Fulham against Sheffield United

Fulham are yet to sign anyone despite losing two key players in Tosin to Chelsea and Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich, while a third in Willian also looks on the cards after his contract expired.

It means Fulham’s priorities at the moment are a new right-sided centre-back, defensive-midfielder and left-winger. While Palhinha neared a move to Bayern last summer, Fulham wanted Scott McTominay and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who could also be available again this summer. They also retain an interest in Fluminense’s Andre but prefer the profile of a McTominay-type.

At centre-back, there has been some interest in Trevoh Chalobah but he continues to assess his options, while Emile Smith Rowe has been linked with a move to Craven Cottage too.

Fulham also want a new left-back, after loanee Fode Ballo-Toure returned to AC Milan, and a right-winger too.

Ipswich



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Ipswich have signed striker Liam Delap from Man City

The newly-promoted club are looking to spend to strengthen their squad to try and stay in the Premier League. It is understood their focus is on a new goalkeeper, new centre-backs, a right-back, central midfielder, wingers and a new striker.

Bringing back Omari Hutchinson following his blistering loan from Chelsea last season is a huge boost, but they have missed out on the next winger target Jaden Philogene, who is set to re-sign for former club Aston Villa instead.

Right-back has been sorted already with the signing of Ben Johnson from West Ham, while a left-footed centre-back in Jacob Greaves has arrived from Hull City and striker Liam Delap has cost £20m from Manchester City.

The goalkeeper situation remains a priority, with Vaclav Hladky seemingly not signing a new contract and Christian Walton into his final option year. A deal with Burnley has been agreed for Arijanet Muric.

Leicester



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Bobby De Cordova-Reid has signed for Leicester on a free transfer

Before the end of the window, Leicester are understood to want a new left-back, central-midfielder, winger and a striker, although that could change slightly following the arrival of Steve Cooper as manager and any ideas of his own he may have for the team.

They have already signed one winger in Bobby De Cordova-Reid on free transfer from Fulham, while centre-back Caleb Okoli has come in from Atalanta – but they have lost key player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea, having needed to sell him to ensure their compliance with PSR rules.

Young midfielder Michael Golding came in from Chelsea as part of the deal but he is a development player, so replacing Dewsbury-Hall is now a priority along with the other positions they want to strengthen. Money is still tight though.

Liverpool



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Virgil van Dijk has said he is considering his future

A fresh era begins under Arne Slot, along with the new recruitment set-up that features Michael Edwards in charge at ownership group FSG and Richard Hughes the new Liverpool sporting director.

It is thought the group want to strengthen particularly in central midfield following the departure of Thiago Alcantara, with another holding player in there. Centre-back is less of a priority even though Joel Matip has also gone this summer, although if an outlier came into view they would seriously look at it.

The same could be said in the forward positions too. They had a go at getting Anthony Gordon while Newcastle were in need of a sale to stay in line with PSR before June 30, but Newcastle wanted Jarell Quansah in return so it did not progress.

Liverpool still need to tie down the longer-term futures of prominent players during the Jurgen Klopp era; namely Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.

Manchester United



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Joshua Zirkzee poses with Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag (credit: Manchester United)

The first signing of the new era – Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee – is a massive boost and United will now look to follow up by strengthening in other areas of the team.

It is understood United want to sign at least one new centre-back. Jonny Evans has signed a new one-year deal, and they have been in talks for Jarrad Branthwaite at Everton, Matthijs de Ligt at Bayern Munich and Lille’s Leny Yoro.

There is also interest in Crystal Palace and England star Marc Guehi and Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, although the latter is not possible this summer after the two clubs agreed not to transfer players between each other to ensure they can both play in the same UEFA competition. There has been some checking, too, on Jonathan Tah amid his talks with Bayern Munich.

A new defensive midfielder and central midfielder are also on the agenda and PSG’s Manuel Ugarte is a target, with an initial approach having been made.

Jadon Sancho is back in the fold but a new winger may also be a possibility, with United getting closer to selling Mason Greenwood to either Lazio or Marseille. Lazio have a confirmed €25m (£21m) bid while Marseille had agreed a deal worth €31.6m (£25.5m) including add-ons.

Victor Lindelof is a target for Fenerbahce, now managed by Jose Mourinho, while there is interest from West Ham and others in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and from Saudi Arabia in Casemiro.

Manchester City



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Dani Olmo’s been linked with a move to the Premier League – but Man City are not expected to make a move

Given the significant strength of their squad and continued success, Manchester City are not expected to be busy this summer. It is more likely to be a case of whether players want to move on and they need to be replaced.

In that vein, they are not expected to make a move for Dani Olmo of RB Leipzig, for example, despite widespread reports on the continent of their interest.

They agreed a deal to sign Savio from sister club Troyes, following his successful loan at Girona last season, which can go through despite agreeing not to transfer clubs.

Sky Sports News has already reported about interest in Julian Alvarez and goalkeeper Ederson from other clubs, but neither of these players have asked to leave and there have been no bids to this point.

City may look at the left-back position again anyway for another option, but it is not a priority, and perhaps in central midfield given Kalvin Phillips looks set for a permanent move away from the club.

Newcastle



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Miguel Almiron could be on the move to Saudi this summer

Newcastle sorted their PSR issues with the sales of Yankuba Minteh to Brighton and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest. They signed goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos in the meantime as well as John Ruddy and Lloyd Kelly on free transfers.

With Kelly the left-sided centre-back addition, while they also wanted to sign the right-sided Tosin before he joined Chelsea, suggesting another centre-back could be in the offing.

It is understood Newcastle have also been looking at defensive midfielders, central midfielders, right-wingers and back-u strikers. They have looked at right-wingers for a while and were in for Michael Olise before he joined Bayern, and tried for Anthony Elanga amid the Anderson discussions.

In terms of outgoings, Newcastle are open to selling Miguel Almiron to Saudi Arabia, while there was also speculation over the futures of Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson in January.

Nottingham Forest



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Newcastle tried to sign Anthony Elanga at the end of June but couldn’t agree a deal with Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest sorted their PSR issues by selling Orel Mangala and Moussa Niakhate to Lyon for a combined £40m.

They can now continue their philosophy over the last year of focusing on signing younger players under 25, following on from the successes of players like Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

In that vein, Forest have signed young St Pauli winger Eric da Silva Moreira and Corinthians goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, as well as Marko Stamenic before loaning him to Olympiakos.

They also want to strengthen at centre-back with more established talent and are in talks with Fiorentina over a deal for Nikola Milenkovic. A left-back, central midfielder and new forward could also come in.

Southampton



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Flynn Downes is expected to head to Southampton on a permanent move

Southampton are looking to continue their ethos of having a core of English talent, and in that vein have signed Ronnie Edwards from Peterborough, Nathan Wood from Swansea and free agent Charlie Taylor at left-back.

And on Monday they agreed a deal for the permanent signing of West Ham United midfielder Flynn Downes.

Saints also approached Bournemouth for Max Aarons but were knocked back, so instead moved to sign AZ Alkmaar right-back Yukinari Sugawara. That is amid uncertainty around Kyle Walker-Peters, who has interest from West Ham, Brighton and Tottenham.

The South Coast club also want to sign another more attacking central midfielder and a striker, with continued interest in Armando Broja. Other additions could be made if they sell midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, who disappointed on loan at Juventus last season.

Tottenham



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Spurs signed Archie Gray from Leeds

Tottenham have had two positional priorities – a No 6/8 central midfielder of the Conor Gallagher-mould – and another winger-forward, following the release of several players.

Timo Werner has joined on another loan, while the opportunity to sign such as promising young talent as 18-year-old Leeds midfielder Archie Gray was too good to pass up, but they do remain interested in Gallagher and Villa’s Jacob Ramsey ahead of some proposed changes in midfield.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is likely to go if they can get a club the player likes and a bid the club likes, while Oliver Skipp is also thought to want more game-time and Giovani Lo Celso‘s future is on the agenda again.

Any further business in other positions will depend on outgoings, with decisions still to be made and a number of players keen for clarity over their futures at the club including Emerson Royal, Bryan Gil, Sergio Reguilon, Djed Spence and Richarlison.

Movement here may see a young back-up striker, right-back and/or a versatile left-sided defender come in before the end of the window. Jonathan David and Lois Openda are liked for the striker position, while right-back Kyle Walker-Peters is on the list.

West Ham



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Max Kilman moved to West Ham for £40m

West Ham are prioritising a few positions this summer. Centre-back was one of the top ones, and they have signed Max Kilman. This was after a bid for Jean Clair-Todibo and a move for Fabricio Bruno both fell down.

The club had also been looking for a new right-winger and have already captured exciting young star Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras.

The Hammers also want another right-back and have had talks with Southampton about Kyle Walker-Peters, with Flynn Downes potentially moving the other way. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another name of interest.

Midfielder and striker are also on the agenda, with Watford’s Ismael Kone, Lille’s Jonathan David, Villa’s Jhon Duran and Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion some of the names on their list.

Wolves



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Pedro Neto has been linked with a move this summer

Wolves have some money to reinvest after obtaining £40m from West Ham for Max Kilman, and they have used some of it already signing striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, 20-year-old Braga right-back Rodrigo Gomes and 18-year-old Pedro Lima.

There is also interest in Pedro Neto from Tottenham and others, while Marseille have bid for Hwang Hee-Chan, although Wolves consider him not for sale. Rayan Ait-Nouri is another one other clubs like a lot.

As well as replacing anyone that leaves, Wolves would be interested in signing a new centre-back and a winger.

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