Premier League Transfer Roundup: Rumored Arrivals and Departures
By Ivan Buss
The Premier League transfer window is in full effect, with many clubs wasting absolutely no time in doing business in order to get rid of dead weight and add some quality to their squads.
The summer transfer window is one of the most exciting times in the Premier League, as fans get to see new faces enter their club’s doors as well as see who gets sent packing. It’s a time to reflect and refresh the group of players in hopes that clubs can improve on their previous seasons, or in some cases, in hopes they can remain in England’s top division of football. From a Premier League fan’s perspective, there is no shortage of business being done by any club in the top flight, as the money involved in England’s top tier is mouth-watering. From kit sponsorships, TV rights deals, prize money, and more, the funding is certainly abundant to bring in new players and ship others out.
Here are some remaining transfers that are still in the works:
Potential Outgoings
Donny Van De Beek (Roma, Inter Milan, AC Milan)
Donny Van De Beek entered the Premier League as one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders. While it wasn’t hot off the year Ajax managed a semi-final run in the Champions League, it was the year after in 2020 when he finally got his move to the Premier League with Manchester United.
He has struggled for form and battled injuries through his years in Trafford with the Red Devils and now looks set to leave United with his former coach giving him the green light to depart. While his time in England was a stint to forget, let’s hope he can regain his confidence and find himself once again, as he was incredibly talented and enjoyable to watch while in Amsterdam.
Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan, Al-Hilal)
Apart from Everton when Lukaku was much younger, his time in the Premier League has been wildly disappointing. Lukaku takes up not one, but two spots in the Premier League’s top-10 most expensive transfers list. It was reported that he cost United £75 million plus add-ons and a few years later, he cost Chelsea a whopping £97.5 million fee. Safe to say neither of these fees ended up being worth the money, as Lukaku struggled in both Manchester and London.
Now, it looks like he is willing to make his move back to Inter Milan permanent and is willing to take a pay cut to do so. Now 30 years of age, Inter certainly seems the best option for the Belgian. He scored 14 goals with them last season, finishing third with Inter in Serie A. With Pochettino’s squad plans for Lukaku still unclear ahead of a pre-season trip to the USA, surely Lukaku won’t be in a Chelsea shirt to start next season.
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Harry Kane’s exploits in the Premier League will live on in tales told long after he has retired, but his lack of trophies is genuinely concerning. He has been an absolute goal-scoring machine for Tottenham, even last season when he managed to bag 30 goals in an otherwise incredibly underwhelming season for Spurs.
Having been linked with Bayern Munich and with Tottenham rejecting both bids (standard), it looks like this move away from North London will once again prove difficult. It may just be that he’ll have to raise all kinds of hell if he truly wants to finally be on a title-winning team.
Moises Caicedo had one heck of a first full season in the Premier League last year, and it alerted about every other top club in England. So, it’s no surprise that the asking fee for Caicedo is astronomical in relation to his time spent on England’s shores.
While it looked like Arsenal was initially going to be heavily involved in Caicedo’s potential move away from the Amex, their focus on West Ham’s Declan Rice has opened the door for Chelsea to bring in a replacement after Kante left for Saudi Arabia.
Potential Incomings
This move has all been confirmed, with both Timber and Rice content surely waiting in a draft somewhere in all of Arsenal’s social media accounts. The Ajax defender impressed and was the subject of interest from numerous Premier League clubs last summer, but it seems as if Arsenal will be the one to secure his signature.
Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City)
While Timber is signed sealed and all but delivered to Arsenal, a deal for Gvardiol is still presenting challenges for Manchester City. The asking price is high, which is nothing new for Manchester City, as their pockets draw a special kind of asking price when negotiating with certain clubs or dealing with certain agents.
However, City looks set to hold fresh talks to bring the highly coveted central defender to the Etihad. It will likely come down to the pay structure that Leipzig is asking for, as it’s typical of Manchester City to secure their targets. Gvardiol and his camp have made it clear he wants this move (who wouldn’t?), but will City get this deal over the line?
Andre Onana (Manchester United)
Having already had two bids rejected by Inter Milan, Manchester United have scheduled a third round of talks and are hopeful they will be decisive. After 12 years, David De Gea has finally left Manchester United, and now United needs a replacement.
Onana, having only kept 8 clean sheets last season with Inter Milan in 24 games, might not demand a double take. Nevertheless, Onana is a much-improved option when it comes to using his feet than De Gea. Erik ten Hag will want to build upon his first year in the Premier League, and Onana is a keeper he can trust, having worked with him back during their Ajax days.
Romeo Lavia (Liverpool, Arsenal)
Lavia has spent only one season away from Manchester City and is already attracting interest from top clubs around the Premier League. Even after being bought by Southampton, Chelsea tried to swoop in and grab him ahead of the 2022/23 season.
In what was ultimately a letdown of a season for Southampton, Lavia was tremendous. A fee rumored to be around £50 million is what it will cost to let him leave the south coast. His calmness on the ball, defensive awareness, and work rate were all admirable and just a few of the traits which make him such a coveted young midfielder. Getting mentored by Fernandinho and more recently Rodri has no doubt played a part in the player he has already become.
It’s worth noting here that Manchester City has first refusal on any potential deal, and will profit 20% of any future sale from Southampton.
What other transfers would you like to see come to fruition for your club?