Michael Olise, Crystal Palace
Missed out on France’s Euros squad despite a sensational end to the season for Crystal Palace but will play a key role for Thierry Henry’s under-23 side at the Olympics instead. It seems likely that Olise’s future lies away from south London despite signing a new four-year deal last summer when Chelsea had met his £35m release clause, although it will take £60m this time around amid interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United among others. The same applies for Palace teammates, Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze, who will be at the Euros with England. Guéhi has less than two years left on his contract and has been tracked by Manchester United, while Eze has a similar release clause to Olise and has admirers at Manchester City and Tottenham.
Désiré Doué, Rennes
The 19-year-old midfielder is the latest star to emerge from the Rennes academy and turned heads across the continent with his mature performances in Ligue 1 last season. Capable of playing in a variety of positions, he has been compared to former Rennes player Eduardo Camavinga and is thought to be on the radar of Arsenal and Manchester United. Bayer Leverkusen had a bid rejected in January, with Paris Saint-Germain also said to be interested in the player who could be sold for around €40m (£33.7m). “Since he was young, he has been followed by the biggest European clubs,” said the Rennes president, Olivier Cloarec. “That won’t change this summer and we’ll see depending on the offers.”
Conor Gallagher, Chelsea
Chelsea’s need to balance the books means that the midfielder who joined the club’s academy at the age of eight could be sold this summer, although Gallagher is understood to be prepared to stay at Stamford Bridge if the conditions for a move do not meet his requirements. Aston Villa and Tottenham are expected to make offers for the 24-year-old, who has a year left on his contract and could opt to leave on a free transfer in 12 months. Chelsea are expected to accept offers of around £50m for Gallagher.
Victor Osimhen, Napoli
The Nigeria striker’s goal-laden spell at Napoli could be about to come to an end if reports in Italy are to be believed, with new manager, Antonio Conte, said to be planning around his departure. The only issue could be the enormous €120m (£101m) release clause that clubs will have to stump up, with Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia now thought to be in pole position despite long-term interest from the Premier League. Arsenal and Chelsea could still try to get in on the act but may be forced to turn their attention to cheaper alternatives.
Jadon Sancho, Manchester United
A revitalised Sancho helped Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League final after being deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United but still looks likely to leave Old Trafford this summer. United reportedly want £40m for a player they paid £73m for three years ago, with Juventus among those interested. A return to Dortmund could also still be on the cards, although the German side would prefer another loan deal. Could any Premier League clubs be tempted to take a punt on the former Manchester City academy player?
Ivan Toney, Brentford
Thomas Frank acknowledged back in February that it was “relatively obvious” that the England striker would leave Brentford this summer, with Toney himself admitting he wanted to play for a “top club competing for trophies”. After returning from an eight-month ban for gambling offences he struggled to recapture the form that brought him 32 Premier League goals in two seasonsbut the 28-year-old’s inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Germany could give him an opportunity to impress. Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham are among those to have been linked in recent weeks, with Brentford expected to value him at around £50m.
Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen
The standout star of Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable exploits last season under Xabi Alonso may be, like his manager, expected to stay in Germany for another year. But that doesn’t mean the race for his signature will not be hotting up this summer. Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City – who may see the Germany playmaker as a long-term successor to Kevin De Bruyne – have all been credited with an interest, with talks expected to ramp up after the Euros. Leverkusen are thought to want a fee of more than £120m for a player they signed in controversial circumstances in 2020 from Cologne for just €200,000 (£168,000).
Leny Yoro, Lille
Still only 18, the towering defender became the second youngest player in Lille’s history when he made his debut back in 2022 and established himself at the heart of one of Ligue 1’s meanest defences last season, making 32 appearances. That has attracted interest from most of Europe’s top clubs, with Real Madrid thought to be his favoured destination. Manchester United have also been heavily linked as they look to strengthen after the departure of Raphaël Varane but dismissed reports that they had offered £51m for the player. Yoro was forced to withdraw from France’s squad for the Olympics this week after his club refused to release him.
Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal
That the striker has not started a Premier League match for Arsenal since the 2-1 loss to Fulham on New Year’s Eve speaks volumes about his status under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal are open to offers for Nketiah, along with fellow academy graduates Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson, as they bid to freshen up their squad, with the 25-year-old likely to cost in the region of £25m. Crystal Palace, Ipswich or Wolves could be potential destinations for the England Under-21’s record goalscorer as he attempts to kickstart his club career.
Joshua Zirkzee, Bologna
Juventus are the latest club to enter the race for the Dutch forward, who excelled last season for Bologna as they surprised Serie A by finishing fifth and qualifying for the Champions League. Milan, Arsenal and Manchester United have already expressed an interest in the 23-year-old who was named young player of the season in Italy and has a €40m release clause, although Bayern Munich could complicate things if they decide to exercise a buyback clause after selling Zirkzee to Bologna in 2022. On Wednesday he was called up for the Dutch Euro 2024 squad.
