The Premier League season may kick off this weekend, but none of its protagonists have completed their cast yet. As is always the case, the football begins before the summer transfer window has concluded, creating a manic overlap for sporting directors, scouts, agents, managers and players.
Money is changing hands at a rapid rate, with a cumulative total of £2.14billion spent by the 20 Premier League clubs in the current window. With two weeks still to go, that is more than the £1.98bn total for the entire window in 2024. It is being driven by inflated fees at the top end of the market, as well as increased outlay from the three sides promoted from the Championship, with both Coventry and Ipswich already surpassing £100m on transfers. But while much of their business has already been completed, there are some major deals which are still outstanding among the Big Six clubs.
Rodri to Barcelona and Bouaddi to Man City
Manchester City have agreed to sell the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner to Barcelona for a fee which could reach £65m. Rodri has entered the final year of his contract with City and, having rebuffed efforts to sign a new one, made it clear he wanted out. Barcelona are getting one of the world's best midfielders at a knocked-down price and the Premier League is losing one of its greatest ever players, albeit at the age of 30. An official announcement is expected in the coming days.
City have wasted no time in securing their replacement for Rodri. With Tijjani Reijnders also heading to Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah for a fee of £51m, they are in need of reinforcements in the middle of the pitch and Bouaddi is their first port of call. The 18-year-old Morocco international is valued at £85m by Lille and talks reached an advanced stage on Monday following the conclusion of the Rodri deal. Bouaddi is an exciting prospect, and despite £116m being spent on Elliot Anderson, he might not be the only one in the coming weeks.
Enzo Fernandez and Bradley Barcola updates
Enzo Maresca worked with Fernandez at Chelsea and wants the Argentina international to join him in Manchester. City missed the chance to trigger a £120m clause in his Chelsea contract, with the deadline passing on Friday, but the move could still happen. Fernandez was booed in Chelsea's final pre-season friendly of the season on the weekend and isn't exactly popular following Argentina's behaviour at the World Cup. He was suspended for two games by Liam Rosenior last season for publicly flirting with Real Madrid and, despite Chelsea's stance that they don't want to sell, the transfer has all the ingredients.
A contender for the biggest saga of the summer, Barcola could still end up playing at Anfield in the 2026/27 season. Liverpool have been biding their time, determined to wait for Paris Saint-Germain to lower their sky-high £145m asking price and there have been a few developments. Barcola has sat out of PSG's recent matches and a deal of around £110m to £120m could happen. PSG have signed forward Ferran Torres from Barcelona and winger Mika Godts from Ajax, paving the way for an exit. To make matters even more complicated, Liverpool are also interested in the French giants' 18-year-old star Ibrahim Mbaye.
Arsenal and Aston Villa transfer targets
Arsenal need a central defender to help provide cover for the injured William Saliba and Konsa is their top target. The only issue is Aston Villa's £60m asking price, which is £20m more than Arsenal are willing to pay. Bayer Leverkusen don't want to sell Jarrell Quansah and Atletico Madrid rejected an approach for Marc Pubill, leaving Konsa as the most likely candidate for Arsenal. Konsa has two years remaining on his Villa contract and, after a prominent role for England at the World Cup, is at the height of his value for Villa to consider a sale.
Another interesting aspect at Villa concerns the goalkeeping department. For the second straight summer, Emi Martinez has been putting the feelers out to assess interest in a transfer away from Villa Park and the club have moved to sign Japan international Suzuki for £30m from Parma. That deal is going ahead, so it remains to be seen what happens with Martinez who has put his cards on the table but is in limbo. The 33-year-old's move to Juventus collapsed over a fee and they have since agreed to sign Guglielmo Vicario from Tottenham instead, leaving the Argentina international with limited options.
Jackson and Savinho potential moves
Chelsea have a frankly ridiculous number of players, some of which they desperately need to find new homes for in the coming few weeks. Jackson is one of the most valuable fringe players, with a £65m price tag after spending last season on loan at Bayern Munich. Villa are interested and have the funds, following the sales of Morgan Rogers, Donyell Malen, Youri Tielemans, Lewis Dobbin and Lucas Digne. It appears to be a good fit for both clubs and is one to watch in the coming weeks.
Tottenham have been one of the biggest movers in the summer transfer window, splashing out to sign Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke after narrowly avoiding relegation. But they are not done yet: Spurs want a wide attacker. Cody Gakpo is of interest to Tottenham, but there so far hasn't been any formal contact between Spurs and Liverpool. Savinho therefore appears to be a much more likely deal. The Brazilian winger is not wanted by Manchester City and talks have taken place over a deal, with the sticking point the fee. City initially quoted £85m for the 22-year-old - due mainly to the five years left on his contact - but that is sure to come down as time passes and negotiations continue for a player who has just seven goals and 16 assists in 84 appearances for the club.
