As the summer transfer window gets well and truly underway, it’s time to look at the key deals that Premier League clubs will be hoping to get done before the start of the new season.
There are a number of different intriguing scenarios, deals, rumours which are already circulating which we will delve into as well as looking at how that player would fit in if they were to make a move.
There has already been one huge transfer in the shape of Eden Hazard joining Real Madrid for £88million and there is sure to be more to come.
We are also going to look at the price tag for each potential transfer and whether or not it is a viable option when considering the fee. They range from over £100m to absolutely nothing whatsoever.
And we start with the most expensive one of the lot, which involves last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City, who could break the bank by signing one of Napoli’s star men…
Man City – Kalidou Koulibaly – £107million
The moment Vincent Kompany announced he would be leaving Manchester City there will have been a sense among City fans that they need to bring in a central defender in the summer window.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly would be an expensive one at £107m, but he would be worth every penny going by his time at the Serie A club. He was a stalwart of Maurizio Sarri’s tenure in Italy and would improve City immeasurably.
However, despite being linked with him they have stated they have no interest in making a bid, according to Tutto Sport.
Burnley – Lewis Dunk – £40million
Burnley took a nose dive last season as they plummeted from seventh the previous campaign to a disappointing 15th. One of the major reasons for that was their previously sturdy defence dissipated somewhat and as a result they were leaking a lot of goals.
Lewis Dunk was a vital part of keeping Brighton in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth and would be an effective solution to Sean Dyche’s problems, while also being a threat from set pieces at the other end.
When he was linked with a move away recently, he was valued at £40m though, so he would not go cheap.
Southampton – Che Adams – £14million
This is a deal which could get done in the coming weeks.
Che Adams had a stellar season with Birmingham despite the team as a whole struggling for wins. He bagged 22 goals for the Midlands club and now could be about to make the jump to the top flight.
Saints have been trying to negotiate the price for the striker down and now, according to The Sun, they have submitted a final ‘take it or leave it’ bid of £14m.
If Adams does sign then he will join fellow new arrival Moussa Djenepo in what will be a much-improved attacking front line for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
Brighton – Salomon Rondon – £16.5million
It was thought that Salomon Rondon could sign for Newcastle given he spent the season on loan there and managed to get his goal tally into double figures.
However, since the departure of Rafa Benitez was announced, it may open the door for other Premier League clubs to join the race for the 29-year-old.
Brighton need a player like Rondon – a powerful forward who works hard and can find the back of the net with consummate ease. The Seagulls have always struggled to score goals but last season was a real warning that they could go down if the don’t change things.
A fee of £16.5m will trigger a release clause and enable him to leave his parent club West Brom, which is an entirely feasible valuation for Brighton to pay.
Aston Villa – Tyrone Mings – £4.5million
Tyrone Mings was a rock at the back for Aston Villa last season. He played a pivotal role in them gaining promotion to the Premier League.
But he is still contracted to his parent club Bournemouth and would be a huge miss for Villa in the top flight if they failed to make the deal a permanent one.
It could potentially be a bargain for Dean Smith’s side, with his valuation around the £4.5m mark – a price he would repay with interest if he managed to contribute to their survival.
He also brings experience to the side, having played in the Premier League for The Cherries, which is invaluable to a promoted side.
Newcastle – Jose Mourinho – £18million
Following the announcement that Rafa Benitez will leave Newcastle on June 30, the priority for this summer at St James’ Park has to be finding a suitable replacement to steady the ship.
Now, Jose Mourinho is known more for rocking the boat than steadying the ship, but he would be a star name who could attract players who might not want to join the club without him being there.
There are few options left for Mourinho when it comes to the European powerhouses, so the Magpies could be an interesting next step for him.
The Portuguese ‘special one’ was reportedly on £18m a year at Manchester United and so it is likely it would cost Mike Ashley a similar amount to bring him to the club.
Sheffield United – Fernando Llorente – Free
Chris Wilder did a tremendous job to get Sheffield United promoted back to the Premier League after a 12 year hiatus. Now he faces he even tougher task of keeping them there.
Despite finishing second in the Championship, they scored fewer goals than both Norwich and Aston Villa, and goals will be harder to come by in the top flight.
As a result, they may need a man to lead the line who can bring others in to play and allow them to open teams up. Fernando Llorente carried out that role brilliantly last season for Spurs despite not scoring a huge number of goals.
Also, he is free as his contract is set to run out with Tottenham, so there would be no risk. It’s a no brainer for a side like Sheffield United and one they really should think about taking.
Liverpool – Divock Origi – £2.34million
Divock Origi scored some of Liverpool’s most vital goals of last season – the winner in the Merseyside derby, the fourth goal in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, and the one that sealed European glory in the final against Spurs.
But it is still rumoured that he could be moving away from Anfield and that would be a grave mistake on the part of Jurgen Klopp.
It is reported the striker’s wages only cost Liverpool £2.34m per year and given how important he was in their last campaign they will not find a deal like that anywhere else on the market.
You can’t do much better than a Champions League trophy and 97 points in the Premier League. So, Liverpool should look in-house and keep what they know, rather than try to change a winning formula.
Tottenham – Tanguy Ndombele – £70million
Tottenham’s midfield issues were at breaking point towards the end of last season when Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli all picked up injuries. And that was after Moussa Dembele left in January.
They are in desperate need of reinforcements in the middle of the park and have been strongly linked with Ndombele as the man to fix their troubles.
According to the Daily Mail, the 22-year-old will set Spurs back £70m which would be a transfer record for the north London club.
But he is exactly the sort of player they need to try and close the gap on Man City and Liverpool.
Arsenal – Dan-Axel Zagadou – £27million
Arsenal’s defence was questionable to say the least last season. They conceded more goals than Leicester, Everton and Wolves in a campaign which was marred by inconsistency and frailties at the back.
A player who could solve their defensive woes is Dan-Axel Zagadou from Borussia Dortmund. At just 20 years of age he has already broken into the first team and impressed in the Bundesliga.
His market value is around 28 million euros which is just over £25m, so it would seem he is within Unai Emery’s budget. The Daily Express believe the Gunners boss’ spending limit to be around £40m this summer.
Leicester – Youri Tielemans – £40million
Youri Tielemans had an impressive spell on loan at Leicester from Ligue 1 side Monaco after moving to the Premier League side in the January window. The Belgian scored three times and assisted five more in just 13 appearances.
Now the Foxes will look to try and make the deal permanent, however there is interest from other Premier League clubs for the £40m man.
Tielemans filled a creative hole that had been missing at the King Power Stadium since the departure of Riyad Mahrez. They should see the signing of Tielemans as the key component which could push them on towards seventh place and possibly even cracking the top six.
Norwich – Kwasi Okyere Wriedt – £540k
Bayern Munich’s Kwasi Okyere Wriedt is rumoured to be in talks about a possible move to Norwich, but there is also interest from two Dutch teams – Utrecht and Groningen.
It could be a real coup for the Canaries if they manage to complete the deal for the 24-year-old given he has scored 26 goals in 36 games for Bayern Munich II last season.
Norwich did an incredible job to get promoted last season, let alone win the Championship. It far surpassed everyone’s expectations, but now they do need to strengthen if they want to survive in the Premier League.
With a market value of just £540,000, Wriedt could be one of the signings of the summer.
Crystal Palace – Aleksandar Mitrovic – £30million
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored 11 times in the Premier League for Fulham last season and was one of a handful of players at Craven Cottage that can say they performed well in the top flight despite being relegated.
The Serbian could leave the west London club this summer and if he wishes to stay in England then there is no better fit than down the road at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles have struggled to find a goal scorer for some time now, with Christian Benteke scoring just one league goal in the entirety of the last campaign.
Mitrovic, with a value of £30m, is more effective and prolific than Benteke and still brings the physicality that the Palace striker contributes. The team would not have to change the way they play to accommodate him, he would slot in perfectly.
Bournemouth – Victor Wanyama – £18million
Victor Wanyama was out of favour for a long while at Spurs last season as a result of the form of both Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, couple with the fact that the Kenyan was regularly struggling with injuries.
But when fully fit he is a great asset to have when it comes to breaking up the play and shielding a back four, snuffing out danger cleverly.
This is the sort of player Bournemouth need as throughout the previous campaign they did not receive sufficient defensive cover from their central midfielders and subsequently shipped a lot of goals – the Cherries conceded the third highest number of goals in the division last season.
Wanyama could provide the steel they need in the middle of the park to alleviate some of the strain that is currently put upon the Bournemouth defence. And with a market value of around £18m they would not need to break the bank for him.
West Ham – Callum Wilson – £35million
Callum Wilson had a terrific 2018/19 campaign with Bournemouth as he scored 14 goals in the Premier League to guide them to safety.
Now, he is being linked with a £35m move to West Ham – one that will excite Hammers fans greatly. With the addition of Pablo Fornals from Villareal having already been completed, a front four of Fornals, Felipe Anderson, Marko Arnautovic and Wilson would make fans of the Irons drawl.
It is a deal which is far from done, but if it is completed then West Ham surely have to be considered of the most dangerous sides next season. Very few will be able to compete with an attacking quartet like that.
Watford – Alex McCarthy – £4.5million
Alex McCarthy was without question the number one for Southampton when Mark Hughes was in charge. But since Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived at St Mary’s Angus Gunn has taken the reigns as the man in the nets.
As a result, McCarthy is being linked with a move away given Saints also have Fraser Forster on their books and really cannot go into the new season with all three vying for just one spot.
And after the retirement of Heurelho Gomes, Watford could be the perfect fit for the Englishman to reignite the form which saw him earn an England call-up not too long ago.
Everton – Kurt Zouma – £22million
Everton are trying to pry Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma away from Stamford Bridge following a successful season on loan at Goodison Park.
Zouma, who had also previously been loaned out to Stoke, has been out of the Chelsea team for a number of seasons. And his 32 Premier League appearances for Everton last season showed he is more than capable of handling in a top half of the table club.
Negotiations for the Frenchman have begun and Everton will be hoping they can land the young promising defender early on in the summer window.
Wolves – Robert Skov – £10.7million
Robert Skov is a midfielder who plays for FC Copenhagen and has been linked with a move to Wolves this summer.
He can play on either flank and has impressed in the Danish league by scoring six times in just eight appearances last season.
Tottenham are also thought to be chasing the 23-year-old, but with a price tag of only £10.7m it is thought Nuno Santo’s side could be able to bring the Dane to Molineux.
It is crafty additions like Skov which will allow Wolves to build on an incredible first season back in the Premier League. The goal now has to be to try and crack the top six and there is no doubting they have the finances to try and facilitate that.
Man Utd – Harry Maguire – £70million
Manchester United look set to miss out on 19-year-old Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt, a man who could have gone some way to solving the club’s problems at the back.
As a result, they need to look elsewhere and possibly a little closer to home to seek out a central defender who could change their fortunes.
Harry Maguire is rumoured to be making a move to Old Trafford, a piece of business that could be a success for two reasons. Firstly, he is a solid defender and one who is far more capable on the ball than many give him credit for.
Secondly, he is a very popular figure in England because of his display’s for the national side and United fans need a likeable, fan-friendly character to try and repair the relationship between them and the team.
It will be a costly one transfer though, with the Evening Standard reporting that he will cost around £70m.
Chelsea – Christian Pulisic – £57.6million
Chelsea were slapped with a transfer ban from FIFA and therefore are unable to do any business in the summer window.
Thankfully for Blues fans, they managed to get a deal over the line in January for Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic to come to Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old international will look to replace the vigour and energy which Eden Hazard brought to the team after he left for Real Madrid earlier this month.
The price tag of £57.6m is a substantial one, but given it is the only expenditure the club will have this summer it is a risk they can afford to take.