With just over a week to go until the end of the summer transfer window, here’s a look at 12 of the biggest deals we could still see going through before Deadline Day.
Read on to take a look at some big-name players who could still be on the move even with time ticking away…
Ryan Gravenberch
Struggling for playing time at Bayern Munich, this is surely one to watch in the next few days after so many rumours and links with Premier League clubs.
Addressing the Ryan Gravenberch saga in his CaughtOffside column yesterday, transfer news expert Ben Jacobs said: “Liverpool do still want another midfielder, but not necessarily a No.6 unless the right opportunity presents itself. That’s partly because Stefan Bajcetic is back in the squad.
“Keep an eye on long-standing target Ryan Gravenberch, though, who is a more versatile midfielder. Bayern’s position all summer has been that they don’t want to sell, but the player is open to Liverpool having endured a tough first season in Germany. Let’s see if Bayern’s position changes in the final few days of the window.”
Mohammed Kudus
One of the finest players outside of Europe’s big five leagues at the moment, Mohammed Kudus is surely ready to take the next step in his career after shining at Ajax.
According to Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside column today, there could be some scope for a big club to come in for him late on this summer after West Ham saw a bid rejected for the talented young Ghana international.
“Keep an eye as well on Mohammed Kudus – West Ham had a new bid rejected yesterday by Ajax,” Romano explained.
“Ajax feel that in the final days of the window, some very big club could enter the race and offer big money for Kudus. They know there are clubs looking for that kind of player, they believe there could be more clubs in the market for Kudus, and this is why Ajax are not accepting €42m from West Ham. Let’s see what happens next – West Ham will now discuss internally whether they want to bid again or leave the table.
“As for other clubs, let’s see what happens with Chelsea, who asked about Kudus in July. Keep an eye as well on Brighton to see if they try again, and Arsenal could also be one to watch because they called in June to ask about Kudus, but then they invested big money on the likes of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice instead. Never say never, and that’s why Ajax are currently deciding not to accept proposals.”
Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic looked the real deal in his time as a youngster at Fiorentina, but it’s fair to say he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations at Juventus so far, so could they offload him in the next few days?
As per Romano earlier this week: “Dusan Vlahovic was also linked with Chelsea recently, but he could still stay at Juventus for sure. At the moment that deal is on total stand-by and nothing is happening.”
If Vlahovic is still available, one can surely expect some movement on this deal, as the Serbia international could be a tempting option for a number of clubs, even if he doesn’t quite secure a big move to someone like Chelsea.
Gabri Veiga
As per Romano in his tweet below, there have been some issues regarding Gabri Veiga and a potential transfer from Celta Vigo to Napoli, but it’s hard to imagine the talented young Spaniard not finding himself a new club before next week’s transfer deadline…
Veiga has established himself as one of the most talented young players in Europe, and there’d surely be a few clubs in the Premier League who would be ready to take him if Napoli don’t end up securing a deal.
Ansu Fati
According to Sport, Ansu Fati’s future at Barcelona is in some doubt, though the player himself is seemingly not that keen on the prospect of leaving the Nou Camp.
Fati is a top talent who could surely do a job for most top European sides, even if he has had his issues with injuries in recent times, which have seen his development stall slightly.
Either way, this seems like one to watch in the final days of the window as there’ll surely be interest in Fati if Barca do push ahead with offloading him.
Bradley Barcola
Another elite young talent with plenty of admirers, it looks like the Bradley Barcola saga could take an interesting turn in the coming days.
As per Romano via CaughtOffside’s Substack today: “That position, a creative player, a winger, is a priority for Chelsea. They are looking for that kind of player and one of the names they requested information on in terms of how much the deal would cost is Bradley Barcola. Chelsea have an interest in this fantastic talent from Lyon, but for the moment the player is giving his priority to Paris Saint-Germain. In June, when the player changed agents to be represented by Jorge Mendes, personal terms with PSG got to a very advanced stage. Barcola said yes to PSG and so the clubs started to negotiate.
“However, from what I understand now, PSG are very nervous about the situation. They’re not happy at all, it’s a very tense situation, and they feel it could be the end of this story if Lyon don’t change their position.
“PSG aren’t happy because they feel Lyon keep on changing their asking price – one day it’s one number, another day another number. The player wants to go to PSG but Lyon are making it very difficult, and so between the clubs it’s complicated and one to follow because it could present an opportunity for other clubs like Chelsea to join the race.”
Folarin Balogun
It seems unlikely that Folarin Balogun is going to break into the Arsenal starting XI, so he’ll surely be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium in the next few days. But where could he go next?
As per Ben Jacobs in his CaughtOffside column yesterday: “Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun is another name who has been discussed (by Chelsea), but it’s Monaco who are currently more advanced,” Jacobs said.
“Balogun would be open to a move to Chelsea, though. Inter would also love Balogun, but Arsenal would need to drop their £45-50m asking price by about £10m. There is no reason for them to do so in the current market and with plenty of late window interest.”
Jonathan David
A fine young forward who’s really impressed at Lille, Jonathan David’s lack of movement so far this summer has to be one of the biggest surprises of the transfer window, and we’ll surely see someone try to snap him up soon.
The Canada international has previously been of interest to Tottenham, according to Ben Jacobs, but that was while Fabio Paratici was still at the club, so it’s not that clear cut for them now, even if they do need a replacement for Harry Kane.
Either way, David is surely too good to be staying at Lille for much longer, so let’s see if his situation changes in the next week or so.
Romelu Lukaku
Totally out of the picture at Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku also seems to be struggling to find suitors anywhere after failing to secure a return to Inter Milan.
The Belgium international hasn’t been involved at Stamford Bridge so far this season, so it’s very hard to imagine him sticking around after the transfer deadline.
As per Ben Jacobs here, it could mean that Chelsea insist Lukaku accepts an offer to Saudi Arabia if he doesn’t manage to get a move in Europe in the coming week.
Jean-Clair Todibo
One of the finest young defenders in Europe, Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo is today being strongly linked with a move to Manchester United by L’Equipe.
One imagines there’d be plenty of Red Devils fans who’d welcome this deal, with Harry Maguire now out of favour at Old Trafford, while there could be some legitimate concerns about going into the rest of the season with just Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof to choose from.
If the Todibo rumours are true, that could be a strong end to the summer transfer window for Man Utd.
Harry Maguire
Speaking of Harry Maguire, his situation still remains unresolved and his departure would surely be key for United to be able to go ahead and sign someone like Todibo.
The England international has seen a move to West Ham fall through and that now seems to be completely off, but there are surely a fair few clubs out there who could be interested and who could give him more playing time than he’s surely likely to get at Old Trafford.
Maguire may not have anything on the table right now, but things could change quickly and this is surely another saga to keep an eye on in the next few days.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Arsenal have spent big this summer so surely need to offload a few names now, and Albert Sambi Lokonga looks a likely candidate for the exit door.
As per Romano in his column today: “I still think there’s a good chance for him to leave Arsenal as he wants to play regularly, but we will have to see about the formula.
“As for those rumours about Brighton, they have Lokonga on their list as alternative option, but he’s a plan B at the moment because their priority now remains Carlos Baleba from Lille.”