With exactly one week left in the transfer window, many clubs are scrambling to make last-minute additions, either to put themselves over the top or rectify issues that have emerged early in the new season. There’s still plenty of talent available to accomplish those goals. Here are 20 players who could yet be on the move prior to the Sept. 1 deadline.
Note: Estimated transfer values provided by transfermarkt.com.
Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina)
Age: 27
Position: Defensive midfielder
Estimated value: €30M
Central midfielders, particularly with a proclivity for the defensive side of the game, are going to be very popular on this list as some of Europe’s top clubs scramble to complete much-needed midfield rebuilds. Amrabat, not currently training with Fiorentina’s first team, is chief among the candidates.
Folarin Balogun (Arsenal)
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €30M
Balogun’s future has been a source of intrigue ever since he returned to Arsenal following a prolific loan spell at Reims. Eddie Nketiah is Mikel Arteta’s preferred option whenever Gabriel Jesus is unavailable, meaning Balogun must look elsewhere for minutes. A transfer to Monaco seems imminent.
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
Age: 36
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €1.5M
Juventus publicly cast the decorated veteran aside early in the summer, leaving him out of the team’s preseason tour of the United States. Bonucci, whose physical decline has been severe, reportedly wanted to remain in Italy. But with few domestic suitors, he now appears set to join Union Berlin.
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Age: 29
Position: Full-back
Estimated value: €50M
Pep Guardiola’s decision to eschew traditional full-backs worked wonders for Manchester City last season, so Cancelo’s return from his Bayern Munich loan was always likely to be temporary until another suitor came along. Barcelona, still in a delicate financial state, are trying to formulate a deal.
Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa)
Age: 31
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €10M
Now 31 and clearly not at the peak of his powers any longer, Coutinho profiles like a prime candidate to collect one last big payday in the Middle East. Saudi Arabian and Qatari clubs are reportedly interested in signing the diminutive Brazilian playmaker, whose career has fizzled since leaving Liverpool.
Cheick Doucoure (Crystal Palace)
Age: 23
Position: Defensive midfielder
Estimated value: €35M
Whether it happens over the next week or next summer, Crystal Palace are in line to turn a massive profit on the holding midfielder who joined the Eagles from Lens last year for around £21 million. Talk of Liverpool’s interest has been incessant, but Palace will fight to keep the blossoming Malian.
Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
Age: 23
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €50M
Felix, who has looked downright miserable all summer while waiting for a transfer to materialize, clearly wants a fresh start. At this point, Atletico Madrid would surely welcome a transfer, too. The Portuguese forward still has plenty to offer, but his next move will be critical to get his career back on track.
Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich)
Age: 21
Position: Central midfielder
Estimated value: €30M
Gravenberch arrived in Bavaria last summer as one of the most exciting midfield prospects in all of world football. But after just three starts and 576 Bundesliga minutes in his debut season at Bayern, the young Dutchman is being tipped to depart in search of more regular playing time.
Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Age: 24
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €80M
Paris Saint-Germain have been working to sign Kolo Muani all summer as they try to leave their failed Galacticos experiment in the rearview and embark on a new era built around young French stars. The two clubs are reportedly “optimistic” about striking a deal before the Sept. 1 deadline.
Mohammed Kudus (Ajax)
Age: 23
Position: Attacking midfielder
Estimated value: €40M
West Ham United are on the brink of winning a heated race for one of the game’s most electrifying talents. Kudus, linked with Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this summer, could cost the Hammers nearly €45 million plus a hefty sell-on clause. The Ghanaian is more than worth it.
Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Age: 30
Position: Striker
Estimated value: €40M
Lukaku played this one horribly. He apparently ghosted Inter, the one team that actually wanted him, enraging the club’s brass and ending any hope of a return that seemed like a foregone conclusion. Chelsea want him out, and Juventus fans protested against his potential arrival. Now what?
Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Age: 30
Position: Center-back
Estimated value: €20M
Nobody on this list needs a move more than Maguire, the much-maligned defender who has unfortunately gone from Manchester United captain to a punchline in record time. The Red Devils’ valuation could be a stumbling block, but for the good of all parties, Maguire needs to leave Old Trafford.
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Age: 24
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €180M
After a winding – and, frankly, tiring – encore of this never-ending transfer saga, Mbappe and PSG appear back on amicable terms despite an extremely bitter contract feud that led to the French superstar’s alienation from the squad. He could stay. He could join Real Madrid. At this point, who knows.
Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Age: 24
Position: Central midfielder
Estimated value: €45M
Nunes’ move to Wolves was never just about his on-pitch abilities. Were it not for his ties to super-agent Jorge Mendes, the Portuguese midfielder would have went straight from Sporting CP to a top-tier European side. Molineux was always just a pit stop, with Manchester City now keen on a deal.
Amadou Onana (Everton)
Age: 22
Position: Central midfielder
Estimated value: €45M
Given some of the astronomical fees being thrown around for midfielders this summer, Everton would be well within their right to demand a huge sum for Onana. The Belgian could instantly improve many top-end clubs, and he still has room to improve.
Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Age: 27
Position: Defender
Estimated value: €40M
Inter Milan have reportedly agreed to an initial €30-million deal with Bayern Munich for the versatile French defender, who is looking for a new adventure after four years in Germany. The Bundesliga champions must find a replacement before sanctioning a sale, though. The clock is ticking.
Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City)
Age: 27
Position: Central midfielder
Estimated value: €32M
Manchester City being on the hunt for another midfielder prior to the deadline likely says everything you need to know about whether Phillips’ status within the squad has changed at all. Stapled to the bench last season, the Englishman is a candidate to make a last-minute loan move on deadline day.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Age: 31
Position: Forward
Estimated value: €65M
Every transfer insider has been steadfast in reporting that Liverpool don’t want to sell Salah this summer, and that the Egyptian star, who signed a new contract just last summer, is happy at Anfield. But until the window closes, continued rumors of a gargantuan Saudi offer will have Reds fans sweating.
Khephren Thuram (Nice)
Age: 22
Position: Central midfielder
Estimated value: €40M
The trail has gone somewhat cold after Thuram was linked with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United earlier in the summer. But, assuming that interest was genuine, the Frenchman could reemerge as a target in the final week of the window as clubs circle back on their familiar targets.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)
Age: 30
Position: Central midfielder
Estimated value: €40M
Lionel Messi left. Neymar was jettisoned. Verratti could be next. PSG are looking to part with the metronomic Italian, and clubs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar are lining up to oblige them. The crafty midfielder won’t come cheap, though, as Al-Hilal have learned in their negotiations with the French side.
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