Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham to Manchester United)
Alderweireld’s departure from north London seemed inevitable midway through last season, when talks over a new contract broke down and he was increasingly left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI. The Belgium centre-back’s current deal runs until 2019 but contains both a one-year extension option and a clause which would make him available for transfer at a cut-price £25m next summer.
Manchester United have long led the race for his signature and now appear to be on the verge of tying up a deal, rumoured to be worth around £60m.
Anthony Martial (Manchester United to Tottenham)
Tottenham may have been resigned to losing Alderweireld this summer, but they could soften the blow by bringing Martial in the opposite direction.
The French forward has endured a turbulent relationship with Jose Mourinho throughout the latter’s time at the club, and the prospect of once again starting less than half of United’s Premier League games (as he did in both 2016/17 and 2017/18) is unlikely to appeal to a young player in need of regular minutes. The Red Devils hierarchy seem reluctant to sell a potential star of the future, though, and allowing him to join a domestic rival could prove a major mistake.
Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea to Real Madrid)
Courtois has been linked with a move to the reigning European champions ever since the 2017/18 campaign ended. The former Atletico Madrid loanee has never hidden his love for the Spanish capital – home to his two young children – and is keen to secure a move to Atleti’s local rivals. His agent, Christophe Henrotay, has implored the Blues to accept Real’s offer.
New manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted that he doesn’t know what the future holds for the Belgian, but Chelsea must line up potential replacements before they even consider granting Courtois’ wish.
Marco Verratti (PSG to Manchester City)
Manchester City missed out on Jorginho to Chelsea earlier this summer, while Manchester United new boy Fred was another reported target for the Premier League champions. Pep Guardiola seemed content to work with what he’s got when both of those players went elsewhere, but rumours suggesting that City could make a late move for Verratti have surfaced in recent days.
It would be a difficult move to pull off: PSG dug their heels in when the Italian attempted to move to Barcelona last year. Against that, however, is the fact that the French giants need to balance the books, which could force a change of attitude this time around.
Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace to Chelsea)
Crystal Palace have remained adamant that Zaha is going nowhere throughout the summer, and Tottenham have now supposedly pulled out of the race for the Ivory Coast international.
Chelsea have since emerged as suitors, but it remains to be seen whether they will pay the £75m Palace are said to be holding out for. The south Londoners would hate to lose their star man regardless of the fee, so Zaha would probably need to ask his boyhood club if he can leave for this deal to go through.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea to Crystal Palace)
One way Chelsea could bring Zaha’s price down is by including Loftus-Cheek as part of any deal, what with the midfielder’s future up in the air despite his contribution to England’s World Cup semi-final run.
Loftus-Cheek excelled on loan at Selhurst Park last term and Chelsea would probably be willing to lend him to Palace for another season, although the Eagles may insist on a permanent deal for the 22-year-old before they allow Zaha to move across the capital. Even if the latter stays put, Loftus-Cheek could still end up at Palace on a temporary basis for the 2018/19 campaign.
Chris Smalling (Manchester United to Wolves)
Should United land Alderweireld from Spurs, Smalling could be shuffled out of the Old Trafford exit. The 28-year-old centre-back is heading into his ninth season as a Red Devil but doubts remain about his suitability for the role, with Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof all set to compete for a starting spot this term.
Wolves have made some exciting signings following their promotion to the top flight and are reportedly tracking Smalling in the final week of the window. The ex-Fulham man possesses the sort of Premier League experience that Nuno would covet.
Jack Grealish (Aston Villa to Tottenham)
Aston Villa’s defeat in the Championship play-off final threatened to plunge the club into financial catastrophe, but last month’s takeover by the NSWE group has put them on firmer footing. The change in ownership has boosted the Midlanders’ chances of retaining Grealish’s services for at least another season.
Yet Tottenham haven’t yet given up hope of prising the 22-year-old midfielder away from Villa Park. The two parties seem some way apart at present, though, with Steve Bruce revealing Spurs are “nowhere near” meeting his own club’s valuation.
Bernard (free agent to West Ham)
West Ham have made some eye-catching purchases so far this summer, bringing Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, Lukasz Fabianski, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere to the London Stadium. Wilshere arrived on a free following the expiry of his Arsenal contract, and Brazilian wide-man Bernard could also arrive for nothing before the Hammers’ opening game against Liverpool on Sunday.
The ex-Shakhtar Donetsk man’s wage demands appeared to price Manuel Pellegrini’s side out of a move in July, but Bernard is reportedly willing to accept a reduced pay packet in order to complete a transfer this week.
Luka Modric (Real Madrid to Inter)
The departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane mean Real Madrid are entering a new era – and one which may also not feature World Cup Golden Ball winner Modric. The Croatian midfielder, who has won four Champions Leagues and a Liga title at the Bernabeu, is set to hold showdown talks with Madrid head honcho Florentino Perez amid strong interest from Inter.
Like Ronaldo, Modric appears to have concluded that his time in the Spanish capital has reached its natural end, but Madrid won’t want to lose another key man to Serie A in the same transfer window.
