David Raya (Brentford)
The Spain goalkeeper who used to play outfield in futsal to improve his ball skills has come a long way since being sent on loan to the Conference with Southport in 2014 as a teenager. Given that Raya made the most saves and completed more passes than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League, it’s no surprise that Brentford are so far standing firm to their £40m valuation of the 27-year-old, whose contract expires next summer. Tottenham appear to be the frontrunners having held talks with his representatives in recent days but Chelsea and Manchester United could be tempted to make their moves.
Mohamed Simakan (RB Leipzig)
Stepping into the shoes of Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté would be a daunting prospect for any young defender but the 23-year-old from Marseille has taken it all in his stride at RB Leipzig. The half-brother of Ismaël Bangoura, the Guinea striker who played for Dynamo Kyiv, Simakan began his career at Strasbourg and can also play at right-back. That versatility has attracted strong interest from Arsenal and Newcastle, although he will not come cheap having signed a new contract in December to 2027.
Kim Min-jae (Napoli)
The South Korea international was a rock at the back for Napoli as they swept to their first Scudetto for more than 30 years. Signed from Fenerbahce last summer as a replacement for the Chelsea-bound Kalidou Koulibaly, Kim is known for his strength and poise on the ball and has emerged as the main defensive target for Manchester United. Erik Ten Hag may have to find a new club for Harry Maguire before investing in the 26-year-old, and Chelsea, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain are also tracking a player whose €60m release clause is only valid for the first two weeks of July.
Daichi Kamada (free agent)
PSG appear to have stolen a march in the free agents market by snapping up Marcos Asensio and Milan Skriniar but there are plenty of other such bargains to be had. Kamada, who starred in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League triumph last year and for Japan at the World Cup, has been attracting interest from all over Europe with his Eintracht contract about to end but seems likely to join Milan despite late attempts from Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund to sign him. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha is holding out for a big offer from a top European club and Adrien Rabiot is mulling over a new contract offer from Juventus.
Moisés Caicedo (Brighton)
Brighton’s determination to hang on to their supremely talented midfield general in January ended up with Caicedo signing a new contract to 2027 five weeks after the window had closed, but there is an acceptance he will probably be on the move. Brighton, having already sold Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool for a cut-price £35m, will demand a much bigger fee to allow his former midfield partner to depart. Chelsea appear to be the frontrunners having made the initial approach for the 21-year-old before Arsenal entered the fray in January, although Mikel Arteta could rekindle his interest should their expected move for Declan Rice hit the buffers.
Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal)
The Nigeria winger’s brilliant brace against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu in April has fuelled rumours he could be on his way to the Spanish capital, although Premier League clubs and Milan are also believed to have shown interest. Given that he has one year remaining on his contract, now could be the time for Villarreal to cash in on the player who joined their youth set-up in 2017 from Nigeria’s Diamond Football Academy. “People will always talk,” Chukwueze said of speculation about his future this week. “I only think of Villarreal.”
Khéphren Thuram (Nice)
Liverpool’s interest in the youngest son of the French World Cup-winning defender Lilian has been well documented. But their hopes of tying up an early deal for the 22-year-old, who was named after an Egyptian pharaoh, have been frustrated by the uncertainty surrounding the Nice owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid for Manchester United. Thuram is expected to cost about £50m if he goes but Nice have yet to indicate whether they are prepared to let him leave. They could entertain bids from Newcastle and Chelsea once he returns from the European Under-21 Championship in July.
Alex Scott (Bristol City)
“Things can happen that you can’t really predict I suppose,” said Bristol City’s manager, Nigel Pearson, this week when asked about the England Under-20 midfielder. But with Brighton, Liverpool, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves linked with a move for Scott in recent weeks, the future of the player dubbed “the Guernsey Grealish” appears to lie away from Ashton Gate sooner rather than later. Viktor Gyökeres, the Sweden striker who excelled at Coventry this season, is another player from the Championship who could be on the move, with Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham and Wolves interested.
Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
The revelation that France forward will not take up the option of a one-year contract extension beyond the end of next season could have multiple implications for this summer’s market. Real Madrid are expected to lead the chase for Mbappé if PSG indicate that they would like to sell him – the fee could be more than the £166m they paid to Monaco in 2018 – so what would that mean for Harry Kane’s prospects of leaving Tottenham? And with Lionel Messi gone and Neymar rumoured to be on his way out of the Parc des Princes, which players will the French champions target? It should be an intriguing couple of months.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
The asking price for the man who has become a Neapolitan idol after his exploits in Serie A this season could be anywhere between £90m and £150m, such is his value. But Osimhen has made no secret of his desire to test himself in the Premier League one day and the lack of strikers at Stamford Bridge means that the boyhood Chelsea fan could get the opportunity to move to London if Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, is in the mood to do business. Bayern Munich and Manchester United have also been linked with the Nigeria striker, who has scored 40 league goals in the past two seasons.
Adama Bojang (Steve Biko FC)
The star of the Gambia’s run to the final at the African Under-20 Championships in February and March, the striker followed that up by scoring twice in his country’s win over Honduras as they eliminated France in the group stage of the Under-20 World Cup. Bojang, who plays for Steve Biko FC in the Gambia, has been heavily scouted by European clubs for some time and looks set to make the move for about €3m. Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Wolves are among those interested from the Premier League, and Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig have also been tracking him.
Rasmus Højlund (Atalanta)
Tottenham’s reluctance to sell Harry Kane to a Premier League rival could prompt Manchester United to turn their attention to the 20-year-old Denmark international likened to Erling Haaland for his physical attributes. Højlund was a revelation for club and country last season, scoring a hat-trick on his full international debut against Finland in Euro 2024 qualifying in March and adding two against Kazakhstan three days later. He is also being tracked by Chelsea but if rumours that Højlund could switch agents to the firm that represents Erik ten Hag are true it may aid United’s pursuit.
